


dance on the moon and sing to the stars

by Salty_Cro



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: 5+1 Things, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Johan (The Adventure Zone) Should Be Spelled Johann, M/M, Multiple Endings, at least it started as that, rated for language, the last chapter will be the sad ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-08-28 10:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16721361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salty_Cro/pseuds/Salty_Cro
Summary: How Johann and Avi accidentally fell in love, told through the Lunar Interludes and the spaces in between.~~~This fic is pre-written and will be updated every Friday. The last chapter (chapter 7) will be the alternate/sad/canon ending.





	1. look over the ocean and tell me what you see

**Author's Note:**

> headcanons/required reading:  
> http://oversunsetplains.tumblr.com/post/180429237794/headcanon-masterpost-for-the-johavi-fic

It was afternoon, a few days after the new initiates had left on their first official mission. Johann was wandering around the base, wondering if there was anything about his encounter with them that could be translated to music. He wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going.

Obviously, he ran into someone.

“Sorry,” he said. He looked up at whoever he had just inconvenienced.

“It’s okay,” Avi said. He looked slightly confused, shoving his hands into the pockets of his aviator jacket. “Are you… lost?”

Johann frowned. He looked around; he was just outside the cannon hangar. “Huh. Wasn’t really going anywhere, but I guess I’m here now.”

“Writer’s block?” Avi guessed, “Or whatever musicians get. Conductor’s block?”

“Yeah,” Johann replied, “Those new guys kinda threw off my rhythm.”

“I know what you mean. They’re pretty weird,” Avi said, “I gave them some bourbon to help with the motion sickness, but I think that only made it worse.”

“I rode the whole Voidfish elevator with them. It kinda sucked, but they liked my music,” Johann said.

“I hope they did, everything I’ve heard from you is super good,” Avi said. Johann smiled a little bit.

“I just fed a new comp to the Voidfish,” Johann said, “Do you wanna hear it?”

“Sure,” Avi said. He glanced behind Johann before asking, “Should we go somewhere with better… sound?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess. Are you gonna get in trouble for leaving?” Johann replied.

“It’s fine. I mean, it’s not like anyone’s going anywhere right now,” Avi said.

“Did you have a place you were thinking of?” Johann asked.

“Uhh, I think I know a good spot. Follow me,” Avi said.

They started walking out of the hangar dome. Avi led Johann across the quad, past the dome filled with restaurants and shops, and out to the far edge of the main moon platform. The domes weren’t entirely flush with the edge, so there was a strip of grass between the enchanted glass and the inner dome.

“Found this a while ago, when I was on break and had nothing better to do,” Avi shrugged. He sat down in the grass with his back to the outer wall.

Johann looked down through the clear barrier separating them from the long drop below. He could see a bright town on an oceanside cliff through the clouds. “It’s nice.”

“Yeah,” Avi said. He cleared his throat. “Do you, um, wanna--”

“Right,” Johann said. He sat down across from Avi, against the commercial dome wall.

Johann pulled his violin off his back (the spruce one with the vine motifs painted on it) and adjusted a couple strings. He pictured the sheet music in his mind, drew his bow, counted the time, and began playing.

For Johann, it wasn’t a particularly special piece. It was a short melody meant for a fall concerto, so Johann didn’t think it would be especially moving by itself. Johann glanced at Avi to gauge his reaction.

Avi was enraptured. His eyes were following the movements of Johann’s bow like a pendulum. Johann understood that music had power, but he wasn’t even trying very hard. As he drew the last notes out of the strings, he looked away.

There was a pause, before Avi said, “Would it be weird to clap?”

“Uh--I mean, you can,” Johann shrugged, “It wasn’t that good. It’s just a part, it’s meant to go with a whole orchestra.”

“Still, dude, that was great,” Avi said.

“Thanks,” Johann said. He didn’t know what else to say.

Avi checked his watch. “I, uh, I should probably get back to the hangar.”

“Oh, yeah,” Johann said. He returned his violin to its spot on his back.

Avi stood up and offered Johann a hand. Johann allowed himself to be pulled up, but then he was still holding Avi’s hand. He let go weirdly and brushed some grass off his knees.

“Thanks for, y’know, playing for me,” Avi said, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I mean, thanks for listening. And thanks for showing me this, too,” Johann replied, gesturing to the area they were standing in.

“It’s great, isn’t it?” Avi smiled, “I usually come here in the afternoons, when we’re not at firing position.”

“It’s beautiful,” Johann agreed.

“Alright, I really gotta get going, there’s a recon group headed out at four and I need to load the cannon,” Avi said, “See you later!”

Avi practically sprinted across the quad. Johann checked the time: 3:51. He frowned. Avi had said he wasn’t busy and he wouldn’t get in trouble. Should Johann have picked a shorter song? Too late now. Johann sighed and started walking back to the Voidfish dome.

~☀~

A couple days later, Johann found himself wandering the grounds again. He was still waiting for inspiration to hit him, and the Voidfish chamber was exactly the same as it always was. Dark and isolating. Johann had thought about going to the little nook Avi had shown him.

As he reached the side of the commercial dome, Johann heard humming. He walked casually around to the source of it. Avi was lying on his stomach, poring over blueprints.

“Hey,” Johann greeted.

“Oh, hey,” Avi said, startled. He pushed himself into a sitting position.

“Am I interrupting?” Johann asked.

“No, you’re good, I wasn’t expecting anyone,” Avi said.

“I was just wandering around, I can go,” Johann said.

“No-no it’s fine!” Avi said. He gestured to the ground next to him. “I don’t, like, own this area.”

Johann sat down across from Avi. This time, he was the one sitting up against the outer wall. If he leaned on it, he felt a weird vertigo.

“You got musician’s block again?” Avi asked.

“Yeah,” Johann said, “I have a couple ideas, I just need to make them fit together.”

“I get that,” Avi said. He flipped through a couple pages of his notebook, as if he was done talking.

Johann felt awkward. He was in Avi’s space, so he didn’t want to disturb Avi’s work. He pulled his lute off his back and began plucking different chords. None of them inspired anything in him. In fact, they all sounded pretty flat. Johann began tuning the strings. While he worked, he heard Avi humming quietly again. It was some pop song that had been playing on the fantasy radio for the past few weeks. The song itself was annoying, but Avi’s humming mellowed the tune.

“Do you sing?” Johann heard himself asking.

“What? Oh, sorry. I’ll stop,” Avi said self consciously.

“No, I was just asking. You have a good voice,” Johann said.

“I mean, I don’t really...sing. I did play flute in high school, though,” Avi said. Johann looked up at him. “Don’t get excited, I wasn’t very good.”

“Like ‘made mistakes’ not good or ‘broke your flute over your sister’s head because she said you were off-key’ not good?” Johann asked.

“What?” Avi replied incredulously.

“Bard college did not fuck around,” Johann said, “I knew this guy who was only there because his parents wanted him to go. Couldn’t play for shit. We all tried to get him into theater or something, but he stuck with his lyre. I could feel Apollo getting angry every time he played.”

“Well, I don’t think I was that bad,” Avi chuckled.

“I don’t think anyone could be,” Johann agreed, “Was it a skill thing? Or like--”

“I was usually on-rhythm, I just couldn’t get the notes right,” Avi said.

“How long did you play?” Johann asked.

“Three semesters,” Avi admitted, “I only joined because I wanted to impress someone.”

“How did that work out?” Johann smirked.

“Not well. They got a boyfriend like, the day after classes were finalized,” Avi said, “They turned out to be kinda a bitch the next year, too. But I stuck with it, because it was basically a free period.”

“I mean, that’s high school,” Johann said.

“Yeah,” Avi said. He went back to his notebook.

Johann plucked the strings on the lute. They sounded right, finally. Johann began playing a song to practice. He was just going off muscle memory, so as the melody revealed itself he realized what his subconscious had chosen.

“Is this… Fantasy Fall Out Boy?” Avi frowned.

Johann knew the answer. It was Fantasy Fall Out Boy. It was Sugar, We’re Going Down. It was maybe five total chords, so it was fine for testing the tuning. Johann hadn’t really been thinking about it.

“Huh, it is,” Johann said, “I was just seeing if I did the tuning right.”

“Oh,” Avi said.

“I mean, if you have any requests,” Johann said.

“Uh, I--do you know any Fantasy Bad Suns?” Avi asked.

“That’s the--they did Language and Perspective, right?” Johann checked.

“Yeah,” Avi said.

“I think I know a few songs from that album,” Johann said.

He found the starting chord and launched into Take My Love And Run. It was an easy song, with maybe four chords. Johann didn’t actually know the words, so he just let his hands take over.

As Johann reached the first chorus, he heard Avi humming again. Actually, he was mumbling the words. Johann pretended he didn’t notice, hoping that Avi would sing louder. When Johann moved into the second verse, Avi kept going. He didn’t seem to notice he was even singing. And like Johann said, he had a good voice.

The song ended, and Johann paused. He didn’t know if he should do a different song, or if Avi wanted to talk about what had happened. Avi didn’t even look up. Johann decided to play another song, to see if Avi would sing again.

This time, Johann did Cardiac Arrest. It was more complicated, but the lyrics were more recognizable. Johann hummed the first verse, and Avi joined in. Johann looked over at him, but he was still just writing in his notebook. Even as the song closed out, Avi didn’t mention what he was doing.

As Johann sat there, kind-of-staring at Avi, he had his inspiration. He began putting together chord progressions in his mind. Lyrics started forming to go along with it. Johann pulled his notebook out of his bag and began writing. He wrote down the notes, testing them on his lute as he did so. Then he tried to write down the lyrics. Squinting at the words, he scratched them out. They weren’t quite right. He tried a few more times, occasionally glancing up at Avi like his worn aviator goggles and curly hair would reveal the perfect phrase. He didn’t get much, but one phrase stood out.

“You love to fly and hate to sing, but you’re a songbird with no wings.”

Johann wrote that down as the first part of the chorus. The rest of the chorus filled itself out, even if it was a little on the nose. “Built a machine to take you higher, like it’s your greatest desire.”

A few more lines came to mind as Johann wrote. He filled out the first verse and the bridge. Pretty good for a first attempt.

By this point, Avi seemed to notice that Johann wasn’t playing music anymore. “You finally figure it out?”

“Yeah,” Johann replied.

“Can--do you wanna play it?” Avi asked.

Johann reread the lyrics he had written. In context, they sounded pretty specifically about Avi. He shifted so the notebook was blocked from Avi’s sight.

“I just have the chords right now,” Johann lied. He picked up his lute hesitantly. Taking a deep breath, he started playing.

Johann hadn’t been nervous to perform something for a long time. Honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he had been nervous. So when butterflies took up residence in his stomach, he almost stopped playing. He pushed through, though. Strumming the last notes, he looked back up at Avi.

Like last time, Avi looked enchanted. Johann didn’t know what it was, because he really wasn’t trying to cast any spells. He set his lute down awkwardly.

“That’s good,” Avi complimented, “Is there gonna be words?”

Johann looked at what he had written. He really liked the lyrics, and they were perfect for the song, but he might as well have written Avi’s name across the page.

“Yeah, probably,” Johann said, “I’m still trying to get the right, uh, inflection. It has to match the rhythm, you know?”

“Yeah,” Avi said, “I mean, even without words, it’s still really good.”

“Thanks,” Johann said. Avi had to be lying. It wasn’t that good. It was barely better than the pop song Avi had been humming earlier.

Avi went back to his notebook. Johann watched him for a moment, before going back to practicing the melody for the song. He could add some harmonies there and there, and a capo for the last bridge. Johann almost forgot Avi was there.

The sun was getting close to the horizon when Avi started shuffling papers and putting them in his bag. Johann glanced at him. Then he realized what time it was. He shoved his notebook into his bag and strapped his lute to his back.

Avi noticed Johann’s rushed movement. “Yeah, time kinda flies here.”

“I should get back to, uh, the Voidfish,” Johann said, standing up.

“Alright, see you later. Thanks for the music,” Avi said.

“Bye,” Johann nodded. He started walking back toward the administration building.

~☀~

Another afternoon, about a week later, Johann came back to the spot against the wall. Avi, as he suspected, was there with his notebook.

“Hey, can I bounce something off you?” Avi asked, “I mean, I know you don’t know that much about engineering--”

“Math isn’t real, right,” Johann interrupted.

“--but I think I can simplify it enough to--wait, did you say math isn’t real?” Avi finished.

“If you think about it, it’s all made up. When you talk about math you’re just saying random words that some old lady decided on a long time ago,” Johann shrugged.

Avi laughed. “Whatever. Basically, I’ve been making the capsules out of enchanted glass, right? That’s fine, we can see through them, they don’t break, it fits the aesthetic. The only problem is, glass even at that thickness still isn’t super heavy. I’ve been trying to work around that, but we’re getting into a stronger wind season, so I wanna get a new prototype up that’s gonna be harder to push around.

“So I tried one with iron reinforcements, but that messed up the gyroscopic inner chamber. I tried an iron frame with strips of glass, but that’s hard to make, and to steer. I tried a couple other metals, too, but it was the same. Do you have any ideas about what I could do?” Avi explained.

Johann had been nodding along like he understood what Avi was saying. When his brain caught up to Avi’s question, he stopped.

“I mean, uh, I don’t know,” Johann said.

“I don’t expect you to have the answer,” Avi said, “I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t an obvious answer I was missing.”

“Well, I don’t know if it would work, but if you did, like, an oval-shape thing? Would that make it more aerodynamic? Like--not a disc, like a sphere that’s stretched out,” Johann said, “That probably wouldn’t be able to launch, huh.”

Avi scratched the back of his neck. “Actually, that’s a start. You’re right that it would be different. I’ll have to account for the imbalance in the weight between the ends and the center but it could be good for cargo transport and recall capsules. Thanks, Johann, that actually helped a lot.”

Scratching some numbers and shapes onto a new page, Avi lapsed into silence. He was smiling, though, and Johann felt vertigo again. He sat quietly while Avi worked, looking out over the ocean below them.

Suddenly, the second verse of the song appeared in his mind. Johann pulled his notebook out of his bag casually, and pulled his lute off his back. He wrote the words down for the second verse. He counted it out, and the beat fit perfectly. Johann hummed the vocal part while he played the melody.

“Hey, that’s what you were working on the other day,” Avi noticed.

“Yeah, it’s, uh, coming together,” Johann said.

“Do you have the words yet?” Avi asked.

“No, I was just working on the notes,” Johann lied. He didn’t want to make things awkward because he wrote a song that was definitely about Avi.

“Can I hear it?” Avi asked.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Johann said.

He plucked out the intro, then started humming. The lyrics threatened to spill from Johann’s lips, but he kept his mouth shut. He hummed up until the last bridge, where he hadn’t finished the words. Then on the last chorus, Johann almost started singing. He closed his mouth at the last second. As he played the outro, he let out a silent breath of relief.

“I really like that!” Avi smiled.

“Thanks,” Johann said. He wondered if Avi would still say that if Johann had sang the words.

“Are you gonna, like, perform it? Or is it just Voidfish food?” Avi asked.

That was a good question. On the one hand, Johann really liked the song. It would be a crowd pleaser, if he ever did want to show it off. On the other hand, Avi could not know that Johann wrote a song about him. Not that he wouldn’t write songs for his friends, but Johann didn’t know if he and Avi were on that level yet.

“I don’t know yet. I’ll, uh, decide that when I get the lyrics going,” Johann said. Avi nodded.

“I think you should perform it,” Avi said, “I mean, when you finish it.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Johann said noncommittally.

They went back to their respective tasks. Johann was still thinking about Avi’s question.

~☀~

The next time Johann was walking around the base, he was headed to what he had come to call their spot. He had finished the song, and he had made up his mind. He was going to play it for Avi. The whole thing, with all the parts. Johann had been building it up in his mind for the past few days, since Avi has said he liked it. Worst case scenario, he didn’t like the lyrics? Johann wasn’t sure.

There were a few people going about their day, but none of them approached Johann. He was grateful for that, because he was already on edge. He walked past the commercial dome, expecting Avi to already be there, like he normally was.

When he got to the secluded area, it was empty. Avi was not there. He wasn’t anywhere near there. Johann checked the time. 2:34 in the afternoon. Maybe Avi would just come later. It wasn’t like he and Johann scheduled when they met up.

Johann sat down near the narrowest part of the space, so he could see if Avi was coming. He picked anxiously at the strings of his lute. He didn’t understand why he was so nervous. The song itself wasn’t weird. It was just the idea of making a song specifically for someone, maybe? Johann didn’t know.

Time passed slowly, at first. Johann checked the time every thirty seconds, wondering if Avi was going to appear. Then, as the half-hour mark came and went, it was like every time Johann looked ten minutes had passed. Johann was getting impatient.

At just over an hour, Johann gave up. He put his lute on his back and stood up. He could just feed the song to the Voidfish. No one had to know. Johann started walking back to the Voidfish office. He tried not to let his disappointment show on his face. Once he got to his office, he dropped into his desk chair and tossed the composition on his desk to deal with later.


	2. from the sun to the moon, as far as can be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wherein i project on johann about being a performer (and about loving avi)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> magnus is fantasy thor and that's a fact.

It was the Midsummer Solstice. Johann sighed as he dug through his wardrobe. He had practiced quite a few songs to perform today, but he had, of course, forgotten to get a costume. There were a few leftover accessories from previous years, but Johann couldn’t just reuse those. He sighed and shut the wardrobe unceremoniously. Disguise Self it would have to be.

 

What could he do with that? He glanced around his small dorm room. Small metal bed, standard-issue wardrobe and desk. The desk was covered in all kinds of things: sheet music, broken pens, random notes, a dagger (that he had last used to cut a sandwich in half), memos he had been meaning to send, and his Stone of Farspeech.

 

Johann had an idea. He went back to his wardrobe and pulled out a sheet to drape over his bare shoulders. He fastened it with a leaf-shaped brooch and used a matching clip to pull his hair up. Johann examined himself in the mirror. That would work. He picked up a violin (the maple one that was stained white with an ebony fingerboard and a pentagonal scroll) and played a few notes. 

 

Then, snapping his fingers dramatically, Johann cast Minor Illusion to make himself, his clothes, and his violin look like marble in the mirror. He moved around to test the illusion. It held, obviously, so Johann was now a living statue. He would cast a full Disguise Self later. He hated to waste a spell slot for every hour, but it wasn’t like he was doing anything else with his magic.

 

Picking up his sheet music, Johann started walking out of the residence halls. He was supposed to get there early to help set up, which seemed like bullshit. He already had to perform for like, three hours straight. Making him get up at sunrise was just adding insult to injury. Still, he had to pay the bills somehow. The Director had promised him a pretty good bonus, anyway. 

 

“Nice costume,” A familiar voice greeted as Johann exited the dormitory dome. 

 

It was Avi, leaning on the lamppost next to the path. He was wearing some sort of pirate outfit, complete with a small paper mache parrot attached to the shoulder.

 

“Hi Avi,” Johann replied, “Director made you help too?”

 

“Yeah, she wants me to help the stupid seedy carnival games set up their stalls,” Avi said.

 

“I’m supposed to help get the dancefloor roped off, and then I gotta do music,” Johann said. They started walking toward the quad. Johann had a hard time keeping up with Avi’s long legs.

 

“For the whole thing?” Avi asked. Johann nodded. “That sucks.”

 

“I mean, I don’t have to play after the eclipse, but like. That’s still three hours,” Johann said.

 

“Can’t they just use a Log of Repetition?” Avi said.

 

“That’s what I said. Director said it wasn’t in the budget, even though giving me a bonus for doing this is, apparently,” Johann said.

 

“You’re getting paid for this?” Avi asked.

 

“Not much. I think it’s just like, 75 gold, enough to meet the Fantasy OSHA regulations,” Johann replied.

 

“I mean, toss me that 75 and I could go see if Fantasy Costco has a LOR,” Avi said.

 

“No, it’s fine. Besides, I don’t get paid until after anyway,” Johann said.

 

“What, like you’re gonna take the money and run? Where would you even go?” Avi asked.

 

“You would totally help me escape, though,” Johann said, “Not that I would try it over 75 gold.”

 

“Right,” Avi agreed.

 

They had reached the grassy circle in the middle of the quad. Different groups of people were milling around, measuring between stakes in the ground and pulling crates out of carts. A large tent was already set up, and what looked to be large fryers were stationed every few feet underneath it.

 

“Guess I’ll see you later?” Avi said.

 

“Yeah, see you,” Johann nodded. Avi started walking towards the people with crates. Johann watched him talking to them for a moment, before looking back to the center of the grass.

 

The Director was talking to someone there. She had a clipboard that she kept marking, like she was checking things off. The person she was talking to was nodding incessantly, and was talking quickly. They wheeled over a crate and walked away.

 

Johann walked over to the Director. She didn’t notice him at first; she was scribbling something on her clipboard. Johann cleared his throat.

 

“Oh, Johann, you’re here. Good. Thank you. Again, I’m sorry about making you play this whole thing, I-- we just don’t have the resources to get enough speakers for the whole venue,” the Director said.

 

“It’s fine. It’s what I’m here for, right?” Johann replied. If he sucked up to her, he might be able to squeeze a little more money out of that bonus.

 

“Well, in a sense, yes. Did you get the set list I sent you?” the Director asked.

 

“Yeah, polished those songs up. And I can do requests, within reason,” Johann said, “Is there gonna be a stage?”

 

“Well, you’ll be on a platform separate from the dancefloor, with a Staff of Projection,” the Director said. So not really.

 

“Okay, great. Where should I set up?” Johann asked.

 

The Director gestured to the circular indent in the ropes being set up. “The platform will be there, so that’s where you’ll be. I think they’re bringing chairs.”

 

“Great. I’ll go get started,” Johann said. The Director didn’t notice him speaking, or at least didn’t care. Johann resisted rolling his eyes and walked over to where two people were setting down wide, flat wooden cylinder. It was maybe eight inches off the ground.

 

The next hour or so was spent not-arguing about the best angle for the Staff of Projection and whether or not a chair would be necessary. Johann had to run back and forth from his room with different music stands as well, because apparently none of them were “the right one for the occasion.” 

 

The event itself didn’t start until nine, so Johann was sitting on his stage (avoiding the scorch marks that had mysteriously appeared during his arguments with the crew) and checking his Stone of Farspeech messages. Avi walked up to him, still in his pirate costume, stopping at the edge of the platform.

 

“How’re things over here?” Avi asked.

 

“We should unionize,” is all Johann said.

 

“Do you think there’s a labor union for secret organizations that live on the fake moon?” Avi grinned. Johann laughed slightly.

 

“Guess not. But I swear to gods if I have to explain to anyone else that I’m a living person with physical and emotional limits then I am going to go on strike,” Johann said. He slipped off the stage and stood next to Avi. “At least the Voidfish doesn’t get mad at me for using a metal music stand instead of a  _ birch _ one.”

 

“That’s rough,” Avi nodded. “Hey, if you want, I can bring you some food or something, once everything gets up and running.”

 

“That would be great,” Johann said, “I’m off around ten-thirty, they're doing a raffle or whatever, so that’s like a half hour I don’t have to be up here.”

 

“Alright, I’ll stop by,” Avi smiled. He pulled a flask out of the inner pocket of his pirate doublet and opened it, taking a sip. “Want some?”

 

“No, I shouldn’t drink before a performance,” Johann said, eyeing the flask. The way the morning was going, though, he could use it.

 

“Alright, that’s probably for the best,” Avi said, “I don’t think we need another ‘Killian dancing on the table’ incident.”

 

“Jeez, yeah,” Johann agreed. He didn’t even want to remember that particular bar crawl.

 

“Looks like people are starting to come in,” Avi noticed with a sigh. Johann looked back at the entrance to the carnival. Sure enough, people were starting to file in, carrying rolls of tickets.

 

“If I die onstage make sure everyone fuckin’ remembers,” Johann said bitterly. Avi just laughed. Johann cast Disguise Self, making his skin look like marble, and clambered back onto the stage. Avi raised his eyebrows.

 

“Guess you went more all-out than I thought,” Avi said.

 

“What else am I gonna use slots on, though,” Johann pointed out.

 

“Fair enough. Catch you later,” Avi said. He walked off to the games area.

 

Taking his position, Johann began playing.

 

Time passed quickly for the first hour or so. Johann played the designated setlist as the quad filled up. People filled up the dance floor in couples and groups. Johann focused on the music. He played methodically, adding flourishes when the crowd was most engaged. His arms were starting to get tired, though.

 

Around ten-thirty, as promised, Avi came up to Johann's stage. Johann finished up his third rendition of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” and passed the Staff of Projection off to whoever was doing the raffle. He hopped off the stage.

 

“If I have to play that dumbass song again I'm done,” Johann muttered

 

“I think it shows,” Avi said. He gestured to the crowd, where people seemed to be riled up for no reason.

 

“They'll be fine,” Johann said.

 

“So, how long is your break?” Avi asked.

 

“Twenty-five minutes, give or take,” Johann said.

 

“The line for food's pretty short right now,” Avi pointed out.

 

“Yeah, let's do that,” Johann said. He had definitely not eaten breakfast.

 

“You’re a literal starving artist,” Avi grinned. Johann huffed out a laugh.

 

They got their food from the big tent and sat down on an empty bench behind the game stalls.

 

“Y'know, you were great up there. I mean, I know you're good. But you're like, professional even though you didn't want to be there. That's the real skill,” Avi said around bites of his food.

 

“I’m glad my efforts were noticed by someone,” Johann said, smiling a little bit. As he did so, his spell wore off.

 

“Is holding the spell stressing you more?” Avi asked.

 

“No, that's the easy part,” Johann said. He would leave it off though, until he was back on stage. He finished his food and dropped the paper tray into the trash can nearby.

 

“Hey, you wanna try the games?” Avi suggested, “I mean, they're bullshit, but it'll be fun. Plus, I get a discount for helping set up.”

 

“Sure,” Johann said. 

 

He followed Avi through the crowd. They stopped in the line in front of a fantasy basketball game. Brightly colored stuffed animals were perched along a high shelf around the inside of the stall.

 

“These ones are the easiest to beat. They make the hoops elliptical, but legally the ball has to be able to get through. You just gotta get the right angle,” Avi said.

 

“Is this what you do in your free time, learn how to beat carnival games? Collect cheap toys?” Johann smirked.

 

Avi laughed, “Better than learning “The Devil Went D--’”

 

“Don't even start with that shit,” Johann warned. Avi laughed harder.

 

It was their turn now. Avi handed the operator the gold pieces. The basketballs appeared in front of him.

 

“I'm gonna get that bird. Cracker needs a friend,” Avi said, pointing to a purple parrot stuffed animal directly above the hoop.

 

“You named the paper mache parrot?” Johann raised his eyebrows.

 

“Shut up,” Avi laughed.

 

Johann watched Avi line up the shot over Cracker, who was a paper mache parrot glued to Avi’s shoulder.

 

Sure enough, the first ball went in. Johann saw the look of surprise on the operator's face. He heard the second ball bounce into the hoop. When he looked back, the third ball spiraled around the rim and toppled through. A bell chimed, and the operator looked absolutely pissed.

 

“What the hell kinda magic are you using?” The operator seethed.

 

“No magic needed,” Avi said, a shit-eating grin spreading on his face.

 

The operator turned to Johann. “You, I saw you performing. You some kinda bard?”

 

“Nope, just a regular violinist,” Johann lied. He was committed to scoring that stuffed animal now.

 

“Fine,” the operator snapped. He reached up and pulled the parrot down, practically throwing it at Avi. Avi, of course, caught it perfectly in one hand. “Don't come back.”

 

Johann and Avi followed his instructions. They walked quickly out of the games section, laughing. Somewhere behind them, the cheater alarm went off. Johann looked back, but the cheaters were some weird dudes dressed as a wizard, high paladin, and octopus woman respectively. They were in the clear.

 

“Maybe math does have some uses,” Johann said nonchalantly.

 

“I’d say that's the highest praise I can ask for from an artist,” Avi said. 

 

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Johann said, looking at his nails.

 

They walked for a bit longer. The long way around led them to back behind the stage.

 

“You gotta go back up there, huh,” Avi said.

 

“Yeah, for less than an hour, though,” Johann said. He was slightly optimistic now, after hanging out with Avi.

 

“We’ll meet here?” Avi asked.

 

“Y-yeah,” Johann said. He didn't realize that Avi had intended to watch the eclipse with him. Not that he was against it. Actually, he was kind of glad. He didn’t have any other plans, anyway.

 

“Alright, peace out. Don't forget your disguise,” Avi said, walking backwards away from Johann. Johann smiled as he watched Avi almost trip over the edge of the grass.

 

Johann cast Disguise Self, for the last time. He was down three spell slots now, not that it mattered. He stepped up onto the stage and picked up his violin. He looked out over the drunken crowd. They wouldn't really care what he played. Johann picked up his bow and started playing.

 

This time, more requests came in. When it came down to the last song, Johann was tired. The crowd was way too drunk to even understand, so he gave up. 

 

“Anyway, here's Wonderwall,” Johann muttered. He launched into the stupid song, which was somehow muscle memory to him. 

 

The crowd seemed to instantly be aware of their rowdy state. Many people looked uncomfortable at the tone shift. The difference between the drunk and sober people became instantly clear. Johann finished the song, bowed, and walked off the stage.

 

Avi was waiting across the path with some sort of fried ice cream situation in a paper bowl. He gestured for Johann to join him. Johann did so quickly.

 

“Wonderwall, huh?” Avi smirked.

 

“Listen, when there's a crowd of drunk people all yelling different shit, it's time for Wonderwall. Works like a charm,” Johann explained.

 

“Because it is?” Avi asked.

 

“It is, yeah,” Johann smiled.

 

“So you would say it's your go-to song?” Avi teased.

 

“No, shut up, I hate you,” Johann ignored him.

 

“Eat some of this, maybe that’ll change your mind,” Avi instructed. He handed over the ice cream and a spoon.

 

“Thanks,” Johann said. He spooned a small amount into his mouth. It was delicious.

 

“What even is this?” Johann asked.

 

“Fried ice cream with sugar-glazed corn flakes. You've never had it?” Avi replied.

 

“It's good as hell,” Johann said. He ate another, much larger spoonful this time.

 

“Where do you wanna stand?” Avi asked. Johann shrugged. They stayed where they were.

 

Leon, the artificer, came up to them and handed them the eclipse glasses. Avi put them on while Johann tried to figure out how to wear them without messing up his hair. It wasn’t fair, because Avi looked cool in any pair of glasses. Once Johann figured it out, they walked over to a smaller grass circle outside the commercial dome. By the time they got there, Johann had almost finished the ice cream.

 

“Dude, how do you not have brain freeze?” Avi asked.

 

“I dunno,” Johann shrugged. 

 

They quieted down with the rest of the crowd as the moon, the real moon, began to overtake the sun. Avi sat down in the grass and pulled Johann down with him. Johann glanced over at Avi; there was a look of pure wonder and amazement on his face, even though he must have seen this same eclipse so many times. The moment was so genuine that Johann had to look away. 

 

Looking up, the moon was just about to cover the sun. Johann felt the sound before he heard it, and could make out a few instruments before his brain shut down.

 

Almost immediately, Johann felt himself being shaken back to consciousness. The cacophony was echoing in his mind. He opened his eyes, which were confused by the eclipse glasses he was still wearing. Through them, he could barely make out the shape of Avi holding his shoulders. Johann reached up and pulled the glasses off his face. The sun was bright in his eyes now, but sure enough, it was Avi there, still in his pirate costume.

 

“What the fuck was that?” Johann asked. 

 

“I don’t know. I don’t know what happened. That was weird, I was barely awake for it, I think,” Avi muttered, “I couldn’t--it was so loud, I couldn’t see, y’know what I mean?”

 

“Yeah,” Johann said. Johann sat up, and Avi pulled back a little bit. He was still leaning over Johann’s lap, though.

 

“Are you okay?” Avi asked. They were so close, Johann could count each freckle on Avi’s cheeks. “Did you hit your head?”

 

“No, I’m fine,” Johann said, looking down. Avi finally moved away, seeming to realize the position he had put them in.

 

“We should go, right? Like, party’s over?” Avi said.

 

“Yeah, let’s dip,” Johann said. He looked over toward the stage, where Merle appeared to be slapping people with the tentacles on his costume.

 

Avi stood up and offered Johann a hand. Johann took it, and Avi pulled him up. This time, Avi seemed to be clinging to Johann’s hand a little harder, like he was scared Johann would disappear if he let go. Johann figured it would be better if he had someone to hold on to, just in case whatever it was happened again. He held on just as tight.

 

More people started to regain consciousness as they walked. Johann saw Carrie gently waking up Killian, then jumping back as Killian swung out instinctively; he admired her bravery. He saw the game operators hastily packing up their stalls, and the food workers were putting out a small fire. Johann shifted closer to Avi.

 

They got to the residence hall and made it all the way to the elevator before they realized they had no idea where they were going. Johann stopped first, making Avi run into him.

 

“Where are we going?” Johann asked.

 

“That’s, uh--I don’t know. I was just kinda tryna get inside, I didn’t really think about after that. We could, uh, I mean… we could go to my room?” Avi offered, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.

 

“Uh, sure,” Johann said. In his head, he had kind of guessed that would be what they did.

 

He hadn’t been in Avi’s room before, so he didn’t know what it would be like. Avi unlocked the door and held it open for Johann.

 

Inside, the room was half-spotless and half-wrecked. Avi, to Johann’s relief, walked over to the clean side of the room.

 

“Sorry for the mess, I keep telling Killian to clean her  _ shit _ but she says she’s ‘busy saving the world,’” Avi said. He flopped down onto his bed, “Like, we all are, get over yourself.”

 

“Yeah,” Johann agreed. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, wondering where he should go.

 

“You can sit down,” Avi said, gesturing to the open spot next to him on the bed. “I would offer you my desk chair, but I’m pretty sure Carrie stole it.”

 

“That’s fair,” Johann said. He perched on the edge of Avi’s bed.

 

“So, uh, what are we doing? Like, should we do something? That wasn’t normal,” Avi said, changing the subject. He shrugged off his costume jacket and folded it up.

 

“Well, I mean, that’s kinda above our paygrade. I don’t know what it was,” Johann said, “It sounded like… a lot of music. And other sounds, but I heard music. But like, all of it. All music.”

 

“Yeah, I heard that too,” Avi said, “Did you understand any of it?”

 

“I mean, yeah? I could hear, like, a drum, and--something that was like a lute but lower, and echo-ier, and a…” Johann tried to recall specific sounds from the mess of noise. “There were some bells. And something mechanical?”

 

“Did they play anything specific? Was there like, a message in the notes?” Avi asked.

 

“No--I don’t--I don’t think it was anything. It was just noise,” Johann said.

 

Suddenly, the door swung open. Killian marched in, her crossbow slung over her shoulder. She noticed Avi and Johann on Avi’s bed.

 

“Oh, shit, sorry, I’ll just--” Killian started to backtrack.

 

“No! That’s not--no,” Avi interrupted, “We’re just chilling inside in case whatever the fuck that was happened again.”

 

Killian looked skeptically between them. Johann looked down at his fingernails, acting casual. She seemed to believe that. Not that she would have any reason to not believe it.

 

“Guess you dorks wouldn’t be that great in a fight anyway, huh,” Killian grinned.

 

Avi threw an arm around Johann’s shoulder. And then he betrayed him: “I mean, I’d be fine I think, but Johann’s a bard, so…”

 

Johann turned to Avi dramatically, shrugging Avi’s arm off his shoulder. Killian burst out laughing. Avi looked like he was trying his best not to laugh.

 

“Say that again after I cast fifth-level Cloud of Daggers,” Johann retorted. Avi’s face split into a grin. Johann pointed at him in a way that he hoped look menacing. He could tell that he definitely didn’t from the way Killian was still dying and the wrinkles bunching up on Avi’s nose. “Fine, I guess I’ll take my Inspiration and leave.”

 

That was the last straw for Avi, apparently. He exploded into breathless giggles, falling backward. Johann swatted at him. Avi dodged it easily and sat back up. Johann took the opportunity to elbow him lightly. His elbow bounced uselessly off of Avi’s secret abs.

 

“I hate you guys,” Johann muttered.

 

~☀~

 

About a week later, Johann did actually get to see Avi fighting.

 

Johann was sitting in the common room of the residence dorm, practicing different signatures in his notebook idly. Avi walked out of the elevator and over to Johann.

 

“Hey, you wanna come watch me, Killian, and Robbie beat up the new guys?” Avi asked.

 

“Sure,” Johann said, “In the icosagon?”

 

“No, we’re just gonna ambush them as they’re leaving their dorm,” Avi retorted. Johann looked up at him.

 

“Okay, I would totally watch that, but you know that’s not what I meant,” Johann said. 

 

He didn’t know exactly what he meant, though, because Avi was not wearing his camouflage green aviator jacket that he was always wearing. He was just wearing a blue tank top with some cutoff pants, and Johann was trying very hard not to look at his muscles.

 

“We’re gonna spar around ten, so if you wanna come cheer me on, you should get a seat,” Avi said. Johann barely heard what Avi was saying, because Avi was definitely flexing on purpose now.

 

“Okay, I’ll be over in a minute,” Johann said. He looked back down to his notebook, pretending to read something. Sparks from his fingers were starting to burn the pages. What the fuck was his problem?

 

“See you later,” Avi said. He walked out the door.

 

Johann dug his nails into the palm of his hand, extinguishing the last of the electricity there. Why did Avi have to do… that. Johann knew it wasn’t even Avi doing anything. Johann had just suddenly realized his friend was super, super hot. Sure. Great. That was fine.

 

Sighing, Johann packed up his bag. He dropped it off in his room and still got to the icosagon in time. The seats were filling up fast, though. Apparently, everyone wanted to see what the three Reclaimers could do in a fight. Johann didn’t really care about that, to be honest. He was mostly there for Avi. He found a seat on the bleachers near the front.

 

There were a few people in the sparring area, making sure there wasn’t any environmental danger for the fighters. They finished their inspection and walked out. The crowd quieted down, waiting for the team walkouts.

 

First out was Avi and his team. Killian struck a pose and flexed, causing the crowd to go wild. Johann heard Carrie yell out “Fuck ‘em up!” through the noise.

 

Next was Robbie. He had potion bottles in both hands, and he tossed them up in the air and caught them. The crowd loved that too.

 

Finally Avi walked out. Well, strutted would be a better word. He waved to the crowd smoothly. Then he turned, looked directly at Johann, and winked. The crowd was ignited now, losing their minds

 

Johann felt like the breath had been knocked out of him. He was frozen. Was he supposed to respond? Was Avi trying to out-charisma him? Was this what it was like to be hit with Charm Person? Johann wasn’t sure, but the railing in front of him had hand-shaped burns in it now.

 

The crowd erupted again as team “Tres Horny Boys” entered the room. Johann hated even thinking about the name. They walked out, waving to the crowd. Johann applauded courteously, still reeling from Avi’s wink.

 

The teams took their positions. The referee counted down. The sparring began.

 

It was a friendly match, so Killian and Avi were pulling their punches. Robbie was using fake potions. Magnus seemed to be having a pretty good time, swinging a fake axe with reckless abandon. Merle was casting spells, or at least pretending to by waving his dollar-store bible around. Taako was chilling near the back, occasionally casting a first-level Magic Missile that everyone easily avoided.

 

Suddenly, the Director’s voice boomed throughout the icosagon. “Can Magnus, Taako, and Merle please report to my office for an urgent matter?”

 

The crowd groaned and boo-ed. The teams stopped fighting, and seemed to be poking fun at each other lightheartedly as they went back toward the locker rooms. Johann got up and went to wait for Avi outside the locker rooms. On the way, he grabbed a water bottle to give to Avi.

 

After a few minutes, Avi walked out. Johann realized his mistake immediately. Avi was still wearing his tank top, thank gods, but he was damp with sweat and his curls were plastered to his forehead. Johann passed him the water bottle, and he took a long drink from it. Johann started doing discreet breathing exercises to keep himself from literally exploding.

 

“Hey,” Avi said.

 

“You--uh, good fighting out there,” Johann said, staring at the ground. What the fuck? Good fighting? Did Avi cast some sort of secret “Steal Charisma” spell with his stupid wink?

 

“Thanks. I was pulling my punches, though, I don’t actually wanna hurt them,” Avi said.

 

“Yeah, I could--I could tell,” Johann said, “You have to go do the cannon thing, right?”

 

“Uh-huh,” Avi nodded. He drained the rest of the water bottle and wiped his mouth. Johann’s eyes focused on Avi’s lips, but he tore them away. It would be extremely easy to--

 

“Cool,” Johann interrupted his thoughts, “I’m gonna go, uh, back, you wanna meet up for lunch?” 

 

“Sure!” Avi grinned, “Fantasy Costco food court?”

 

“Yeah,” Johann agreed. That was the main hangout for them and their friends, so it was a safe choice.

 

“Sick. Catch you later,” Avi said. He started walking toward the hangar. Johann watched him go, still dumbstruck.

 

About an hour later, Johann was waiting at their table at the Fantasy Costco. He hadn’t ordered yet. He and Avi usually ordered together and then fought over who was paying. Speaking of, Avi walked in through the sliding doors, wincing at the jingle.

 

“Hey,” Avi waved. He was wearing his jacket again, thank gods. They walked over to the line for food.

 

“How was the Boner Squad or whatever the fuck they call themselves?” Johann asked.

 

“Stupid as always. Taako was asking for dramamine like I just had it on hand,” Avi said.

 

“Did you?” Johann asked.

 

“Yeah,” Avi admitted. Johann laughed.

 

“That’s not even the worst part,” Avi said, “We were talking about the fight, right, and Magnus twisted my words on me.”

 

“What did you say?” Johann smirked.

 

“Well, I was like ‘I got in a few good blows on you’ and Magnus, the motherfucker, was like ‘let’s not talk about who blew who’ or whatever. Like, fuck off,” Avi said, “I should have said ‘you’re not my type’ or something, knock him down a peg.”

 

“He’s not?” Johann teased. He wasn't sure what he wanted the answer to be.

 

“No, I mean, I’m not saying he’s not attractive. Objectively, sure, he’s hot. Like fantasy Chris Hemsworth. He’s just not my type,” Avi explained.

 

“What is your type then?” Johann asked, unable to stop the words from leaving his mouth. 

 

Avi looked toward the counter. “I think we’re next.”

 

Johann turned. Sure enough, it was their turn. They ordered their food, got their drinks, and sat down at their table. Johann’s question was forgotten in favor of Avi’s blow-by-blow reenactment of the fight.


	3. now we're living in a dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we're getting there! also this is where the idea of angus being avi's younger brother comes into play lol

Ugh. Why did no one ever fucking believe Johann. Sure, he was a bard, so maybe he was a little flighty, but he’d been taking care of the Voidfish from the start. Lucas didn’t know shit, except that he somehow guessed right. 

 

And when the Voidfish reached out to Magnus and sang? That was the last fucking straw for Johann. Sure, he had gotten his moment with the Voidfish too, but Johann wasn’t ready to deal with what he had figured out. He had lied to Magnus, because he definitely was not supposed to know what the Voidfish had told him.

 

Johann was practically stomping across the quad, leaving singed grass in his wake. He found himself stopping at the hangar. He wasn’t even sure how he got there, but as he walked through the glass door and saw Avi, some of his frustration ebbed away. But there was someone else by the cannon too. Avi turned around and saw Johann.

 

“Hey, what’s up?” Avi waved. He muttered something to the… child? The child standing in front of the cannon controls. Then he walked up to Johann.

 

“There’s--uh, I can come back later, if you’re busy--” Johann said. He could not talk about everything in front of a strange child.

 

“No, you’re fine! I was just-- have you met Angus?” Avi asked. Johann shook his head. Avi turned back toward the child and called out, “Angus! Come say hi to Johann!”

 

Angus looked back from the control panel and noticed Johann was there. He rushed over to them.

 

“Hello, sir! I’m Angus, I was just recruited to the Bureau!” Angus greeted. He stuck out a hand to shake. Johann shook his hand, trying not to be skeptical.

 

“I’m Johann, resident bard,” Johann said, “So, uh, how’d you… catch our attention?”

 

“Well, they said I was getting a bit too nosey on the ground. You see, I’m a detective, sir. The world’s greatest, some would say. I was following up on some missing persons reports for people that no one could remember, like for some of the people that work here,” Angus said.

 

“He was looking for me,” Avi said with a grin.

 

Angus shuffled his feet. “Well, I was also just doing my job--”

 

“Oh, you’re too much of a bigshot now to admit you missed your brother?” Avi teased, ruffling Angus’s hair. Johann raised his eyebrows.

 

“So he is your brother,” Johann said. The resemblance was there: the same dark curls (though Angus’s hair was trimmed neatly, unlike Avi’s unruly shoulder-length ponytail) and round face with brown eyes that were always looking for something.

 

“Yeah,” Avi said, “When they hired me, they had to erase a bunch of stuff so people wouldn’t come looking for me. Somehow, Angie here still managed to figure it out.”

 

“Well, I mean, there was a whole room in the house I couldn’t go in, so when I went in it and it was your room but it was all staticy and I didn’t know it was yours, I had to solve it!” Angus said.

 

“Huh. I wasn’t actually sure what they put in,” Avi said.

 

“That’s-- I mean, that’s basically the gist of it,” Johann said, “We have to get rid of a lot, so people don’t have any clues. But the physical stuff you left, we can’t really get rid of that. Your brain can fill in the gaps to an extent, but a whole room is gonna be hard.”

 

“Wait, you work with the Voidfish?” Angus asked, looking up at Johann.

 

“Yeah, I’m usually at the desk in there,” Johann said.

 

“Pfft. Usually,” Avi laughed, “You’re in there  _ maybe _ two hours a day.”

 

“It’s not my fault it’s so boring in there! It’s all dark, and the Voidfish never talks to me or anything!” Johann exclaimed. He remembered that, in fact, the Voidfish had spoken to him. “Actually I need to talk to you, but like I said, if you’re busy it can wait.”

 

Johann gestured subtly at Angus. Avi looked between Johann and Angus. Johann tried to convey the urgency of the situation with his eyes.

 

“Hey, Angie, how about you, uh, go over to the commercial dome and find a place to eat. Wherever you want. I’ll be over in a few minutes,” Avi said.

 

“Uh, okay,” Angus said. He glanced at Johann apprehensively. Johann tried his best to look non-threatening, something he never thought he would have to do. Angus looked slightly less anxious and walked out of the hangar.

 

“So being a nerd runs in the family,” Johann said.

 

Avi turned back to Johann. “Yeah, for sure.”

 

“Looks like he got all the logic, though,” Johann smirked.

 

“What?” Avi frowned.

 

“The kid’s apparently some kinda Boy Detective and you launch people out of cannons for a living,” Johann pointed out.

 

“That’s fair,” Avi shrugged, “So what did you need to talk about?”

 

“Listen, I’m going to say a lot of things and I just need you to let me talk before I can explain anything,” Johann said.

 

“Okay,” Avi nodded. Johann was a little bit surprised at how fast Avi was to trust him.

 

Johann started, “So, it started when Lucas came into the Voidfish office, right? And he’s like, angry already, somehow. He’s yelling at me about how he should take the Voidfish to his lab to examine it. Obviously, I was like, ‘that’s not how this works’ and he’s going off about how we don’t know anything about it and it could die at any second and that’s like, not fucking cool.” 

 

“That dude’s a fucking tool,” Avi interjected.

 

Johann nodded. “Then the fucking Reclaimers show up, and they’re arguing with Lucas now too. Magnus goes up to the tank and like, puts a hand up to reassure the Voidfish or some shit. Then the Voidfish, fucking, puts a tentacle up to his hand. It was like it… recognized him. It’s never done that to me, though. Then the Voidfish--get this-- the Voidfish fucking  _ sings _ . Three notes. And I knew what they were, but I didn’t want to-- I had to be sure.

 

“So I get my harp, right, and I play the three notes back. And the Voidfish sings another set of notes, four, and they’re different and I know exactly what they were but I cannot make the logical conclusion that comes after that. It’s like my brain’s full of static when I try to think about it. So I… I don’t know what to do,” Johann finished.

 

Avi listened pensively to Johann’s story. As Johann finished ranting, though, Avi looked hesitant.

 

“Can I… what were the notes? Did they spell something out?” Avi asked.

 

“I--fuck, I probably shouldn’t tell you. I shouldn’t know in the first place,” Johann said, “You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone. We could lose our--I don’t know, probably our lives over this.”

 

Avi looked very concerned at this point. Johann didn’t blame him; he himself was super fucking concerned.

 

“I--I promise,” Avi said.

 

Johann took a deep breath. He hummed, “[E-G-G-B-A-B-E], or KHKHKHKHHHKH.”

 

The static was a surprise, even to Johann. Avi’s face darkened. Johann saw the wheels turning in his head, saw him wince as more static blocked out the next thought.

 

“Fuck,” Avi muttered.

 

“Yeah,” Johann said, “And the static means that someone else knows too.”

 

“The Director?” Avi said.

 

“Well, I fuckin’ hope so. If someone else, fuck, if Lucas found out? We’d all be fucked!” Johann said.

 

“So what--can we do something about it?” Avi asked.

 

“I mean, not really,” Johann said, “We’re powerless here.”

 

“That’s… not reassuring,” Avi said.

 

“Nothing bad has happened yet?” Johann tried.

 

“That we know of. Remember how the Voidfish got rid of a whole-ass war? What if KHHHKHHKHHKHHK” Avi said. He frowned. “Did you hear static too?”

 

“Yeah,” Johann said.

 

“Fuck, this is gonna be a problem,” Avi said.

 

“I shouldn’t have told you,” Johann said, “I just couldn’t be the only one who knew. I had to lie to Magnus about what the Voidfish said because who knows what he and his crew would do about it.”

 

“Well, I--I’m glad you trust me, at least,” Avi said, scratching the back of his neck.

 

“I mean, yeah, you’re--you’re like my best friend,” Johann admitted.

 

“Really? I mean--I think of you as my best friend, but I--I didn’t know if you--” Avi said.

 

“Yeah, we’re best friends,” Johann said. He looked up at Avi.

 

“Okay. Good,” Avi said. He met Johann’s eyes.

 

They stood awkwardly for a moment. Johann looked away first.

 

Johann remembered the rest of his story. His mood dropped, along with the lights along the walls of the hangar. “Fuck, I just remembered the reason why the Reclaimers were even there. It was because they had Captain Bane’s like, Voidfish thing, because now that he’s dead we have to forget about him, and it’s fucking bumming me out. ‘Cause, like, I don’t wanna be forgotten, you know? I gave up all kinds of fame and fortune to be here, because I thought it would help people. And, like, it doesn’t even feel like I do that much, and that--when I die it’s gonna be like I was never even here. I could have been world-renown, y’know? But now I don’t even exist.”

 

Avi looked very existentially aware all of a sudden. That made Johann feel worse.

 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Johann said, scowling at his shoes.

 

“I mean, everyone here knows you. And they won’t forget you. I won’t forget you,” Avi said. It sounded like a promise, but Johann wasn’t that hopeful. “I don’t think anyone could.”

 

“That’s assuming this whole [E-G-G B-A-B-E] thing doesn’t blow up in our face,” Johann said. He may have been spiraling a little bit.

 

“Listen, this is going to sound mean, but I don’t think we’re big enough players in this whole thing to be the first targets,” Avi said. Johann snickered.

 

“Let’s fucking hope so,” Johann said. 

 

He looked up at Avi. Avi was looking at him with something in his expression that Johann couldn’t place. Whatever it was, Johann couldn’t maintain eye contact.

 

“I should probably go,” Avi said, “Angus is waiting for me.”

 

“Yeah,” Johann said, “See you later?” 

 

“Totally, I’ll stop by your office later,” Avi said.

 

“Cool,” Johann said. He stayed in place as Avi walked out the door.

 

~☀~

 

Candlenights crept up on Johann. He felt like he had just finished piecing together what he could about [E-G-G B-A-B-E] when Magnus approached him about playing for the Candlenights party he was hosting. 

 

Magnus had knocked on the door to the Voidfish chambers politely, which was a change. So much so that Johann had been surprised when he had opened the door. He let Magnus in and left the door open, just in case.

 

“Hey,” Magnus greeted. He looked slightly awkward, like he was used to having other people to back him up in a conversation.

 

“What’s up?” Johann asked.

 

“Uh, I was just, uh, I was just--me and the other, the other two are hosting a Candlenights party in a couple days, and we were wondering if you--”

 

“If I wanted to play music for it,” Johann finished, “Who’s going?”

 

“Uh, lemme think… Me and Merle and Taako, obviously. And the Director, and Killian, and… oh yeah, Avi.”

 

“Okay, sure, yeah,” Johann said, “You got, like, a setlist you want or just whatever?”

 

“Just whatever--you’re the musician here, I trust your judgement,” Magnus said. Johann was a little bit surprised at how nice he was being.

 

“Cool. When’s it start?” Johann asked.

 

“Oh, right. Six? Yeah. Taako said six. So, I mean, if you need anything set up before that, then you can come earlier, but the party’s at six,” Magnus said.

 

“Alright. See you then,” Johann said. He started digging in the bottom drawer of his desk, where he kept the sheet music for other people’s songs. Magnus seemed to linger for a moment, but when Johann sat up, he was gone.

 

The first day of Candlenights came. Johann just barely remembered to get gifts for everyone. He made bronze music boxes for the Reclaimers and the Director. He got Killian a switch she could put on her crossbow that, when flipped, would play a sick lute riff. He got Carrie a dagger that would play Fantasy Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say” when she stabbed someone with it. And for Avi… Johann didn’t know what to get for Avi. He had a lot of different ideas, but none of them seemed right. Nothing seemed genuine.

 

Johann looked around for some sort of inspiration on his desk. His harp was laying, out of tune, to the side. His Stone of Farspeech was next to the open notebook in the middle. Various half-finished pages of sheet music were layered on the desk. Johann started stacking them into a singular pile he could organize later. As he picked up the papers, one floated onto the floor.

 

As he bent to pick it up, Johann read the title. “About Avi?” it said. Johann frowned. He thought he had fed that one to the Voidfish. Could he… no. Johann had already given up on that particular venture. Avi never needed to know about it.

 

Johann rolled up the paper and slid it through the chute. It floated into the tank, and the Voidfish grabbed it with its tentacles. But it seemed to hesitate. As if it was saying, “Are you sure?”

 

With a deep sigh, Johann nodded. The Voidfish absorbed it. Johann knew that it wouldn’t really make a difference in the scheme of who should or shouldn’t hear it, but it felt final. Like Johann was officially giving up on that song.

 

At this point, Johann needed to leave. He still had no present for Avi. Whatever. Candlenights was a week long, he could figure something out later. Avi would get it. He always did. Johann picked up his spruce violin (the rosewood one was nowhere to be found, which was concerning) and walked out to the elevator.

 

When Johann showed up, a little bit early, the three Reclaimers were putting the finishing touches on their decorations. Magnus was fastening decorative lights to the walls. Taako was arranging a food spread. Merle was trimming their Candlenights bush just lovingly enough to be weird.

 

“Hey guys, Happy Candlenights,” Johann greeted. Everyone looked up at him.

 

Magnus rushed over. “Hey, Johann, thanks for coming! Here, we cleared a spot over here so you can, uh, not be bumped into or anything.”

 

He led Johann to where he had been when Johann walked in. It was a small half-circle of floor outlined with purple string lights on the floor and ceiling. Johann had performed in worse places.

 

“Cool, thanks Magnus,” Johann said. Magnus gave a thumbs up and walked over to Merle. Johann watched Magnus let Merle struggle with the shrub for a minute and then pick it up easily. Turning toward the center of the room, Johann began practicing a few scales on his violin to warm up.

 

People started to enter the party. Killian was first, walking in with a bottle of wine. She talked with Magnus in the doorway for a minute, then moved over to the snack table. Next was the Director, exactly on time. Trailing behind her was Angus, which Johann was surprised about. Something about the way Merle scowled tipped Johann off that Angus was not invited. 

 

Last to arrive was Avi. Johann hadn’t talked to him for a few days, but he looked a little worse for wear. He was weirdly thin, and the way he walked and moved revealed that he had already had something to drink. Johann resisted the frown that threatened to grow on his face. Was Avi okay?

 

It looked like he was about to find out. As soon as Avi greeted everyone, he made a beeline for Johann. Johann finished the song he was playing, some simple ode to Istus, and cast Minor Illusion so another song would play while he talked to Avi.

 

“Hey, that’s--that’s cool,” Avi said, smiling. As he gestured to the self-playing fiddle, he almost lost his balance. Johann reached out to steady him.

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Johann asked. He held Avi’s shoulder in place so he wouldn’t wobble.

 

“I, uh, had some, heh, kinda strong bourbon earlier? It’s Candlenights, y’know?” Avi explained, “Hey, you’re warm.” 

 

“Why are you so skinny?” Johann asked. He had to ignore Avi’s personal comments until he could figure out what was wrong with him.

 

“I’m on the Atkins diet,” Avi said simply.

 

“Why? You’re already--” Johann stopped himself. “You’re already in perfect shape.”

 

“Just wanted to try it. To say I did it?” Avi said. He didn’t sound very sure.

 

“That’s why you’re so fucked up,” Johann said, “You can’t be an alcoholic and on Atkins at the same time. That’s how you die.”

 

“Yeah, I’m--I’m kinda realizing that,” Avi said, “Wait, I’m not an alcoholic, though.”

 

“Tell that to this,” Johann said. He pulled the flask from Avi’s hip. As he suspected, it was empty.

 

“I’m not an alcoholic,” Avi said pointedly to the flask. Then he laughed. Johann tried his best to remain serious.

 

“Avi, I’m not--I’m not trying to be mean about this. I’m just saying, I--we care about you, so like, maybe cool it with the bourbon,” Johann said, voice soft. He didn’t want to start a fight on the first night of Candlenights.

 

The easy grin on Avi’s face fell slowly. Johann felt a little bit bad, but he didn’t really. He wanted Avi to be healthy, and alive.

 

“Come on, let’s get food. I saw Taako made some bomb-ass nutmeg cookies,” Johann said. He stowed the flask in his own back pocket while Avi was distracted.

 

“Dude, I’m so hungry,” Avi said. He and Johann walked over to the snack table.

 

“Hey, how’s it going? Enjoying the party? Using a nice Minor Illusion, I see,” Taako appeared. If Johann wasn’t used to it, he would have jumped.

 

“Yeah, it’s great,” Johann said.

 

“Super good. Just getting some food. I’m on Atkins, so…” Avi said. Johann elbowed him.

 

“Tight, yeah, I heard about that. The grilled steak skewers should be good, it’s just meat and slow-roasted bell pepper and onions,” Taako said. And then he was gone? Johann looked around, and now he was talking to Merle near the Candlenights bush.

 

“You’re not on fucking Atkins anymore,” Johann hissed.

 

“I didn’t wanna be rude, he already made the food,” Avi said, “Hey, that rhymed.”

 

“Your inability to be mean to people is gonna literally kill you,” Johann said. He put some glazed cinnamon bread, a couple nutmeg cookies, and (just to keep up the illusion) a steak skewer. Then he shoved the plate into Avi’s hands.

 

“You’re gonna hella crash, but you gotta eat,” Johann said. 

 

Avi looked the food in his hands. Hesitantly, he picked up a cookie and took a bite. “Fuck, that’s good.”

 

“Great. Just make sure I’m blocking you from everyone’s vision so Taako doesn’t catch you,” Johann instructed.

 

“You're such a good friend,” Avi said. Johann felt his face heat up. He didn't understand why that was the thing that broke his composure. 

 

Maybe it was because when Avi drank, he got really… genuine. He was already an honest person, but alcohol made him pour his heart out to whoever he locked on to. Lately, Johann had been his go-to target.

 

“I'm just trying to keep you alive,” Johann brushed it off.

 

“Still, you're like, nice to me. You're using this aloof exterior to keep your professionalism but you care a lot, about a lot of things, and that's. That's good,” Avi said. He reached for his flask, and it wasn't there. “Hey, did you take it?”

 

“You are literally going to pass out if you have any more,” Johann said, “Eat more food.”

 

With that, Johann went back to his performing area. He picked up his violin and started playing. It was a song about the Winter Solstice, and how the sun and the moon met twice a year to form a truce. Pretty standard as far as Candlenights songs went.

 

The simple melody gave Johann time to think. He was watching Avi out of the corner of his eye. To his relief, Avi was scarfing down the food. Taako seemed to be pointedly ignoring Avi’s dietary infidelity; Johann saw him stay close to the Director and Angus.

 

Around eight, the time came for gifts to be exchanged. Johann figured he would start with the Reclaimers, just to get it out of the way. That went about as badly as he expected, though he was glad to have his favorite violin back.

 

Next he approached the Director. He gave her the same gift he gave the Reclaimers, but this one had the [E-G-G B-A-B-E] at the end, just to see if she got the hint. Surprisingly, she didn't. The Director, of course, gave him his Candlenights bonus.

 

After that, Johann went over to Killian. He gave her the magic switch and explained how it worked. She was, as he expected, ecstatic. Johann was sure that if she had her crossbow with her she would have done a dramatic sting right there. In turn, she gave him a carved stone inkwell in the shape of a songbird. It was adorable.

 

Johann had made up a last-minute present for Angus. He didn’t know if it would be weird, because they weren’t super close, but he felt like it was appropriate. He had gotten Angus a magnifying glass, then enchanted it with a Detect Magic effect that lit up different colors based on the type of magic being examined. Angus’s eyes widened when Johann gave it to him, and Johann tried to play it off, saying, “Just to complete your whole detective thing you’ve got going on.” Angus had hugged him and given him a Caleb Cleveland novel that was about solving a murder by testing someone’s musical memory. Honestly, Johann was a little excited to read it, even if it was a kid’s book.

 

Since Carrie wasn't there, Avi was the only one left. He was sitting in the window nook, looking out over the snowy town of Neverwinter below. Johann walked over to him slowly, preparing an excuse. 

 

“Hey,” Johann said.

 

“Hey,” Avi said. He was more sober now that he had had some real food.

 

“So, I didn't bring your present to this party because it would totally outshine all the other ones I gave people and I didn't want them to feel bad,” Johann said.

 

“That's okay. Honestly, I didn't know what to get you, so I don't have a gift for you. Yet. I promise I'll figure it out by the end of the week, though. And it's gonna be better than any of the other presents you get this week,” Avi promised. Johann smiled. Apparently, they were both bad at gifts. 

 

Avi patted the spot next to him on the window bench. Johann sat down next to him. The seat wasn't very big, so their legs were touching. Johann didn't really mind it.

 

Avi pointed down at a small gathering of houses just outside Neverwinter. “That's where me and Angus grew up.”

 

Johann didn't know what to say, so he stayed quiet. Avi dropped his hand to rest on the seat, a couple inches from Johann's hand.

 

Outside the window, snowflakes began to drift by. Johann watched them fall. He crept his hand closer to Avi's.

 

Suddenly, the Director marched over. She shoved some notebook paper into Avi's hand, saying, “Move the headquarters to these coordinates right now. Pronto. We're in a hurry.”

 

Avi read the paper. He said hesitantly, “These uh, these coordinates are south of here.”

 

“Yes?” the Director replied impatiently.

 

“The--the moon typically doesn't move south,” Avi explained.

 

“Just do it! Just go! Just do it!” the Director exclaimed.

 

Avi nodded and stood up. “Sorry, Johann, see you tomorrow--”

 

“It's fine, if the Director's pissed off you should hurry,” Johann said. Avi was already gone.

 

So much for the first day of Candlenights.

 

~☀~

 

Luckily, the world was saved or whatever. Johann hadn’t really been informed about the situation, but a Grand Relic was found so apparently it was a big deal. He didn’t really care that much, to be honest. He was glad Candlenights hadn’t been cut short, though.

 

The next day, Johann woke up late. He had left the party with Killian and Angus, right after the hosts left. He had spent the rest of the night in his room, snacking on macarons and idly reading the book Angus had given him. It was a Caleb Cleveland novel, so it was way below his reading level, but the plot was interesting enough.

 

Johann didn’t have any responsibilities that day, so he mostly stayed in his room trying to come up with a present for Avi. He thought back to the past months, hoping the answer would reveal itself. Some inside joke, some barely-noticed comment, literally anything. Nothing came to mind. Johann gave up somewhere in the afternoon. He still had five days to think about it.

 

It was the second day of the Candlenights celebrations, and Carrie was hosting this time. She had claimed the grass area between the residence dome and the commercial domes for her party. And from what Johann saw as he walked up to it that evening, she had gone all-out.

 

Glowing orbs of all different colors floated about eight feet off the grass, illuminating the space. Some tables and chairs had been set up. A whole couch was just sitting against one edge. Several folding tables filled with food and snacks were along the adjacent edge. One of them was just stacked with booze. In the center of the grass was a dance floor of sorts, with Logs of Repetition positioned at each corner. Candlenights music played through them, and people were gathered in the center of the floor.

 

“Hey!” Carrie greeted, walking up to him.

 

“Nice setup,” Johann said, “Happy Candlenights.”

 

“Happy Candlenights!” Carrie said.

 

Johann gave Carrie the knife he had gotten for her. Carrie laughed and thanked him, then gave him his gift. It was a lute pick that was meant to be worn on your finger, except that it was made of translucent black glass. Carrie explained that it was a thieves’ pick, and it would help silence any attempt at picking someone's pocket.

 

Carrie gestured to the rest of the party. “Have some food. I got  _ a lot. _ ”

 

“Thanks,” Johann said. He went over to the dance floor.

 

All kinds of people were at the party. Some people Johann recognized, and some people he didn’t. Almost immediately, though, Johann saw Avi. He started walking over to him.

 

Avi noticed Johann and lit up. Johann walked a little faster, until he was right next to Avi. 

 

“Hey,” Avi greeted.

 

“Hey,” Johann replied.

 

Avi had been talking to Killian and a floating robot that seemed to be very alive. Johann looked at it apprehensively, before it started talking.

 

“Hi, I’m Noelle!” the robot said.

 

“I’m Johann, nice to meet you,” Johann introduced himself awkwardly.

 

“Oh, you’re Johann! Avi was just talking about you,” Noelle said sweetly. 

 

Johann turned to Avi. Avi was looking down, ignoring everyone’s eyes on him.

 

“Were you and Killian bullying me again?” Johann teased. He didn’t need to know what Avi had been saying.

 

“Yeah,” Avi recovered, “Seriously, you’re a bard. There’s a lot to unpack there.”

 

“It’s not my fault I have talent. You just do math and build cannons all day,” Johann said.

 

“How much damage can you do with your Vicious Mockery? I bet it’s less than a cannon does,” Avi grinned.

 

“It’s a lot more than your punches,” Johann retorted, “Besides, we’re never actually fighting. You know what does well at parties though? Fuckin’ music.”

 

“To be fair, if Avi launched a cannon at a party, that would be pretty sick,” Killian interjected.

 

“Shut up,” Johann muttered. Avi and Killian laughed.

 

For the rest of the night, Johann stuck by Avi’s side. They moved around the dance floor, talked to people, avoided people, got food, had fun. At some point, Avi had grabbed Johann’s hand to pull him to some new group of people and they just didn’t let go.

 

Now it was getting to the end of the night. There were a few people still standing around, but most of the food was gone and the booze was significantly diminished. Now that Johann thought about it, though, he hadn’t seen Avi drink all night.

 

“Hey, we should probably get going,” Avi said. Johann nodded.

 

They said goodbye to everyone, even though Carrie and Killian were… preoccupied. It was a short but chilly walk back to the residence dome. Luckily, it was warm inside, so Johann’s shivering was short-lived. They got into the elevator.

 

“Ah, shit, I don’t have your Candlenights gift,” Avi said.

 

“That’s okay,” Johann said, “Can I tell you something?”

 

“What?” Avi asked.

 

“I couldn’t figure out a gift for you either,” Johann said.

 

“So that’s why you didn’t bring it last night,” Avi smirked.

 

“Great detective work,” Johann smiled.

 

“Oh, gods, have you been reading those--whatever they are, the books Angus reads? Kyle Columbia or something?” Avi groaned.

 

“The one he gave me, yeah,” Johann grinned. Avi laughed. “They’re not the worst.”

 

“They’re for teenagers,” Avi said.

 

“You’re a teenager,” Johann pointed out.

 

“I’m 20!” Avi said.

 

“That’s nothing,” Johann said, “You’re like a baby.”

 

“How old are you, then?” Avi said.

 

“Uhhh, fuck, I lost count a couple years ago, 134 I think? So that’s like 22 in human years?” Johann said.

 

“You--wow, I never thought about that. It’s like, I dunno, I just considered in human years, like… wow, you’ve been around for over a century. I haven’t even lived half of that,” Avi said.

 

“I mean, time passes differently. For most elves, at least. It’s like, you feel like you’re there in the moment and then suddenly it’s been a decade,” Johann said.

 

“So, what, your time here has been like a month?” Avi said.

 

“Well, it’s--it’s passed faster than I thought, but I still feel every second,” Johann said.

 

“That--that’s good,” Avi said, “I don’t wanna, like, insert myself here but it would suck if you were like, not--if you didn’t really care about what you were doing because it passed so fast.”

 

“Yeah,” Johann agreed, “No, I know I’ve been around for a bit, and I’ve got… more time ahead of me, but I’m glad I get to be here with you guys for at least however long this little moon charade lasts.”

 

They were both silent for a moment.

 

“Jeez, I didn’t mean for that to sound so sappy. I mean, not that I don’t mean it, I just… I don’t know,” Johann said quietly.

 

“No, I know. You said it so well though. I guess you’re a bard, so, y’know, words have power and all that,” Avi said.

 

Ironically, Johann was out of words. He just squeezed Avi’s hand as the elevator door opened.

 

“See you later,” Avi smiled, squeezing back. He dropped Johann’s hand and walked out of the elevator.

 

So Candlenights was going pretty well.

 

~☀~

 

The next few days of Candlenights passed without much excitement. Johann attended a few more parties, exchanged a few more gifts, and just celebrated. He spent most of his time out in the quad hanging out with people instead of being holed up in his dark office.

 

Now, though, it was the last night of Candlenights, and the Bureau-wide celebration was taking place in the quad. Johann had, to his surprise, not been recruited to perform. Apparently, they had invested in some Logs of Repetition. Finally.

 

It was the custom for the last night of celebrations to wear your best clothing; Johann had put on a gold button-up shirt with a navy blue blazer and dress pants. His hat was that same blue with a gold feather. Johann had also found Avi's flask as he was doing laundry. He would have to give it back at some point, so he shoved it in his pocket. Hopefully Avi would be at the party.

 

Johann tried to not be worried about that. Avi hadn't shown up to any parties the day before, so Johann wondered if he would come to this one. Johann walked up to the quad with Carrie and Killian. Avi was nowhere in sight.

 

The party itself was huge. It was like if the Midsummer Solstice was representing every possible religion. Almost everyone in the Bureau of Balance was there.

 

Killian and Carrie started talking in low voices, leaving Johann to walk slightly behind them by himself. He wandered through the party for a little bit, chatting with people as he went by. Then he felt a presence behind him. Before he could even turn, Avi spoke.

 

“Happy Candlenights,” Avi said. Johann turned around the rest of the way.

 

“Happy Candlenights,” Johann returned. He remembered the flask in his pocket. He pulled it out and handed it to Avi. “Sorry, I took this from you the other day.”

 

“Keep it,” Avi said.

 

“What?” Johann frowned.

 

“You should hold onto it,” Avi said. Johann still didn't understand. Sensing his confusion, Avi explained, “I'm gonna try and stop drinking this next year. Or at least cut back by, like, a lot.”

 

“Really?” Johann asked. He was still holding out the flask

 

“Yeah. I mean, it's not-- it's not a big deal,” Avi said.

 

“That’s… that's great. And, you know, I'm here if you need support or anything,” Johann said. He put the flash back in his pocket. He wasn’t sure what he would do with it, but that wasn’t important right now.

 

“Thanks,” Avi said.

 

They stood for a moment, before Avi said, “C'mon, let's go see if we can find out what the Director's celebrating.”

 

“It didn't work last year, and I don't think it will this time,” Johann said. They were already walking.

 

This party went even later than Carrie's did. The New Year's Bell had rung out several hours ago, but people were still partying. It was almost dawn by the time people started to clear out. 

 

Johann and Avi were sitting in their spot behind the commercial dome. Johann wasn't sleepy, per se, but if elves could be then he definitely would be. At some point, he had leaned against Avi as they watched the sun rising over Neverwinter. Now Avi had his arm around Johann, giving a small amount of protection from the cold morning air.

 

Golden streaks of light painted the clouds. The breeze stilled. Johann could hear Avi's heartbeat at 78 beats per minute. It was a perfect moment.

 

Soon, though, the sky got lighter, and it was time to go to bed.

 

Johann looked up at Avi. “Should we head in?” 

 

“Yeah,” Avi said. Johann could tell from his voice that he didn't want the moment to be gone either.

 

Johann pulled away from Avi as he stood up. Avi stuck out a hand, and Johann grabbed it without looking. They had done this so many times before.

 

Holding hands, they started walking toward the residence hall. Johann was barely able to walk, he was so tired. Avi seemed to understand that, because he moved his hand from Johann's grip to wrap around Johann's waist. Johann leaned into the touch instinctively. It was a little bit uncomfortable, because Avi was really tall and they were still walking, but Johann was tired enough that he didn't care.

 

The elevator was empty when they got there, which Johann was glad for. He and Avi stood together quietly as it moved. It stopped at Avi's floor.

 

Avi peeled Johann off slowly. Johann was a little bit more awake now, looking up at Avi. Avi had an indiscernible look in his eyes. Suddenly, he lurched forward and pressed a short kiss to Johann's lips.

 

Johann didn't even have time to react before the elevator doors closed and Avi was gone. 

 

Candlenights sucked, actually.


	4. why can't you hear me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is the sad one folks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "bards have cool powers too!" i cry, shoveling shitty headcanons into my writing.

For the next few weeks, Avi was barely around. Johann couldn’t find him in any of his regular places. He checked the hangar every morning, their--no, Avi’s spot every afternoon, and the commercial dome every evening. Johann asked Killian, and Carrie, and even Angus, but they refused to tell him. A few times he caught glimpses of Avi hurriedly leaving wherever Johann had just entered. Neither of them said anything. Johann had tried, the first few times, but it was pointless. And all the while, Avi’s flask was sitting on Johann’s desk, mocking him. It was disheartening, to say the least. 

 

After about a month, Avi disappeared completely. Johann asked around, trying to find any clue as to where Avi might have gone. This time, Killian did say something.

 

“Last time I saw him, he was going to the Director’s office,” she admitted.

 

“When was that?” Johann frowned. 

 

“Um, maybe, I don’t know, five days ago? He was carrying like, a bag, like he was leaving,” Killian said. Johann’s face darkened. “I’m sorry, Johann.”

 

“Is--okay, we don’t have to jump to conclusions here,” Johann said, desperately clinging to any hope he could muster. “Maybe he’s just on a mission?”

 

“We both know he’s not a Regulator, and especially not a Reclaimer,” Killian said, “I’m not saying he’s gone forever, but, uh, it was a pretty big bag.”

 

“He can’t leave forever, right? The Director wouldn’t allow that big of a security risk,” Johann said.

 

“I don’t know. Maybe you should talk to her. I think she would trust you enough to tell you where he went,” Killian said.

 

“Thanks, Kill,” Johann sighed.

 

“No problem. Listen, if--okay, I’m not good at feelings or whatever, but if you need someone to talk to about all this to then I’m here for you,” Killian said. It was the most sincere thing Johann had ever heard her say.

 

“I appreciate it,” Johann said. Killian picked him up in a hug. Despite his embarrassment, Johann smiled.

 

~☀~

 

Johann put off going to the Director for a few more days. He just couldn’t cope with the idea that Avi had left for good. It was Schrodinger's Avi: He was both coming back and not coming back as long as Johann didn’t ask. At this point, though, Johann didn’t know which one would be worse. Never see Avi again or see him around but never be able to talk to him?

 

Finally, though, Johann caved. He had been writing nothing but sad songs, and at this point there were two pieces of sheet music just floating in the tank that the Voidfish was refusing to eat. It seemed almost like it was sad itself. Johann sighed and stood up from his desk.

 

“I’ll see if I can get you something different, buddy,” Johann said. He put his hand up to the glass wall of the tank, but the Voidfish didn’t respond. Some of its light seemed to grow brighter, though.

 

Johann made his way to the elevator slowly. He waited as it moved to the Director’s floor. When he got there, there were fewer guards than there had been the last time he was here. Johann hoped that meant that less security was needed. He knew it didn’t.

 

Now he was at the door. He raised a hand hesitantly and knocked on the door. Inside, he heard the Director’s voice say, tiredly, “Come in.”

 

Johann entered the room. He was surprised by how out of place things were. Leatherbound journals with missing pages were stacked on one end of the Director’s desk. A wooden box filled with various inkwells was in the middle of the floor. The crystal orb that usually sat on an ornate stand next to the pen holder was resting between the Director’s hands. The Director herself looked exhausted: her hair was falling from its sharp side-parted undercut, ink was staining the hems of her long sleeves, and her eye makeup appeared to be slightly smeared.

 

“Are you--I can come back later, if this isn’t a good time,” Johann said.

 

“No, you’re fine,” the Director said. Her voice cracked on the word “fine.” Johann had never seen her this upset before, even when she had been yelling at Lucas.

 

“Can I--” Johann tried, “Do you need anything?” 

 

“No, Johann, thank you. Have a seat,” the Director said. 

 

Johann sat in the middle chair, directly across from her. His fingers tapped out a comforting pattern on the worn wood. 1 and 2, 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and--

 

“I assume you’re here to ask about Avi,” the Director said. Johann stopped tapping.

 

“What--did he say something to you?” Johann asked. He tried to sound professional, but the Director noticed his hopefulness.

 

“Not really, but I am… aware of your situation,” the Director said.

 

“I’m not even aware of the situation. Did he describe a situation to you?” Johann asked before he could stop himself.

 

“Well, you know I have eyes and ears all around base. Obviously, you two are best friends, but I… have also been made aware of what transpired this past Candlenights,” Lucretia said.

 

“Is there, like, security monitoring in the elevators?” Johann asked. The Director nodded, and Johann raised his eyebrows.

 

“Yeah, you would be surprised at how many crimes are committed in elevators,” the Director said. She seemed less upset now, with a smile resting at the corners of her eyes.

 

“So, uh--I know I probably can’t ask where he went, but… is Avi coming back?” Johann asked.

 

“Yes,” the Director said, “So long as he doesn’t blow himself up.”

 

“That’s fair,” Johann said. He looked down at the carvings along the edge of the Director’s desk. 

 

“Listen, Johann, I know it can be… confusing, relationships at work. Especially such a high-stress job like the one we do. Just know that… things do work out,” the Director said. Johann looked up in time to see her glance at the painting behind her desk.

 

“Do you know when he’ll be back?” Johann asked.

 

“To be honest, I can’t be sure. I’m confident in Avi’s abilities, as evidenced by his job--”

 

“Moon pilot, right,” Johann interjected. To his surprise, the Director snorted.

 

“Yes, Avi is the moon pilot. But the thing I’m asking him to do might not even be possible, and it’s going to take a while to figure it out either way,” she said. Johann nodded.

 

“I figured. Killian told me she saw him with his biggest bag. That’s why I--I just wanted to make sure he was coming back,” Johann said.

 

“Well, if everything goes according to plan, which it never does but I will continue to pretend that it will, then he’ll be here again in less than a month,” the Director said.

 

“Okay,” Johann said, “Well, uh, thank you. I should get back to my, uh, job.”

 

“Alright,” the Director said, “Take care, Johann.”

 

Johann returned the sentiment and left the room quickly. He went back to his office downstairs and dropped into his chair. So he had less than a month to come up with something to say.

 

Realistically, Johann should be good with words. He was an extremely practiced bard. One of the best in the whole world, even. Still, he couldn’t come up with a single sentence that he could say to Avi that would sound exactly how he wanted it to. Everything was either too clinical (“I have feelings for you too”) or too emotional (“I’m way fucking in love with you and I’m sorry that wasn’t obvious enough before”). Even a simple “I love you” wouldn’t work. It was too basic, and didn’t come anywhere close to explaining the network of feelings that Johann experienced when he was around Avi.

 

After writing down countless different phrases and then scratching them out, one by one, he gave up. He tore out the page in his notebook and crumpled it into a ball. Then he stood up and walked over to the Voidfish tank.

 

“This is all I have for right now,” Johann said. He put the wrinkled paper through the chute and watched it float up into the Voidfish’s tendrils. It absorbed it, and a few pink lights in its bell light up. “I’ll try to write something better tomorrow.”

 

The Voidfish flicked a few of its tentacles in an “it’s okay” gesture. Johann smiled a little bit.

 

~☀~

 

It was about a week after Johann’s meeting with the Director. He had, fortunately, come up with a fun tune for the Voidfish to eat. He had been writing it in his head while he and Carrie were racing on an obstacle course. Killian was timing them and shouting encouragements, though she seemed to be slightly biased. Not that Johann did very well anyway. 

 

When he had played the song for them, they had said it sounded like something that could have been playing during the Reclaimers’ race back in Goldcliff. Johann translated that to “upbeat and exciting enough that the Voidfish would eat it.” Johann felt bad for feeding it almost exclusively heartbreak songs.

 

He was chilling in his office, eating some Fantasy Cheez-its and doodling a forest in his notebook, when he heard a small knock on his office door. He got up to answer it.

 

On the other side of the door was Angus. “Hello, sir!” he greeted.

 

“Hey, Angus, what are you doing here?” Johann frowned.

 

“It’s my job to ask the questions here,” Angus said. He walked toward Johann’s desk.

 

“You’re eleven,” Johann retorted, shutting the door.

 

“Taako has been teaching me wizard spells,” Angus said. It didn’t sound like a threat, but it definitely could have been.

 

“Okay, I get it, you're stronger than me,” Johann said.

 

“Well, that's not what I meant. But sure, if you want to put it that way,” Angus said.

 

“So what's up, kid?” Johann asked.

 

“I have a few questions for you,” Angus said. 

 

“Shoot,” Johann replied.

 

“Okay, first of all, how long have you known about the KKHHHHKHKHHKH?” Angus asked. He looked only a little bit fazed by the static he just emitted. Johann should probably be worried about how much the kid must have been thinking about it.

 

Fuck. Johann had been so busy being worried about Avi that he had forgotten about [E-G-G B-A-B-E].

 

“First of all, how long have you known about the [E-G-G B-A-B-E]?” Johann turned it.

 

“Well, I was, uh, looking for you the other day, and your door was open, so I came in, and you weren’t here but I saw a, uh, note on your desk that just had a staff with [E-G-G B-A-B-E] written on it next to a drawing of the Voidfish so, uh, that wasn’t super hard to figure out,” Angus explained. Johann wasn’t going to tell him that his humming was a little (a lot) sharp. 

 

“Why were you looking for me in my office?” Johann asked.

 

“That’s my second question, but you haven’t answered my first one. How long have you known?” Angus said.

 

“Okay. Remember the day when I came into the hangar and Avi made you leave? It was because I was telling him about it. But you can’t--you  _ can not fucking tell anyone about this because I don’t know what it means but it’s not fucking good, _ ” Johann hissed. The lights in the room flickered a little bit. Angus looked a little bit scared. Johann drew back. “Sorry for saying so many curse words.”

 

“No, it’s fine, it gave the situation gravity, y’know, if you’re saying bad words to a child,” Angus said.

 

“Don’t tell Avi I taught you swears,” Johann said.

 

“Oh, don’t worry. Taako has already told me about a lot of wizard swears,” Angus said.

 

“Wizard swears?” Johann raised his eyebrows.

 

“Yeah, you know, like-- well, I’m not going to repeat them because they’re rude but you know what I’m talking about,” Angus said.

 

“Sure,” Johann said, leaning back in his chair. He tried to keep himself from laughing. What the hell was a wizard swear?

 

“Anyways, speaking of Avi, that was my second question,” Angus said.

 

Johann froze. Did Avi say something to Angus?

 

“Yeah?” Johann replied warily.

 

“I, uh, I just wanted to ask if you guys were… dating? I know it’s not really my business, but I just wanted to ask, I guess? It’s okay if you are, and I’m not really qualified to give any sort of shovel talk, but, uh, yeah,” Angus stammered.

 

“That’s a great question, Angus,” Johann replied, perhaps snarkier than he intended. “I wish I had an answer for you.”

 

“Well, it’s a simple yes or no question,” Angus reasoned.

 

“Ha, I wish,” Johann snorted.

 

“What do you mean, sir?” Angus asked.

 

“I don’t know. I’m like, mostly sure we’re both in love with each other but I don’t know because instead of saying anything after he kissed me, he fucking disappeared!” Johann crescendoed. This time, one of the lights burst and showered sparks down next to Johann’s desk. Angus looked truly scared now. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I just… I miss him.”

 

“I think I should go, I’m just upsetting you,” Angus said.

 

“No, it’s not your…” Johann tried. Angus was already out the door. Johann let out a real swear.


	5. we're dancing in the starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avi comes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys so sorry this is a day late but it's a happy chapter so i hope that makes up for it

The day Avi came home was… weird.

Johann had been sitting in the grass near the middle of the quad with Killian and Carrie. Carrie had been going off about the newest Fantasy Orange is the New Black episode when Johann saw the telltale recall bubble pulling up over the edge of the moon. Johann had watched the Reclaimers leave a little over an hour ago. Weird.

The Reclaimers made a beeline for the Director’s office. Avi walked out of the hangar and stopped in his tracks. Johann made eye contact first. This time, Avi didn’t look away.

Johann stood up and started walking to Avi, breaking into a sprint as he got closer. Avi stood stock still, waiting. Johann didn’t care; he crashed into Avi, latching on tightly.

“What the fuck,” Johann hissed into Avi’s ear. He didn’t know what would happen if he was louder. “Why did you fucking leave?”

“I was scared,” Avi admitted.

“Of what?” Johann said, at normal volume now. A breeze stirred up around him and Avi.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, I should have said--” Avi said.

Johann didn’t grace him with a response. Instead, he smashed his lips indelicately to Avi’s own. Avi responded immediately, wrapping his arms around Johann. Johann dragged his arms up to encircle Avi’s neck. When they pulled apart to breathe, Johann noticed a circle of grass around their feet had been burned away.

“Guess bards can be pretty cool,” Avi teased.

“You’re fucking right I am,” Johann said.

Avi kissed him. Johann smiled into his mouth. This time was shorter, and Johann pulled away first.

“We’re gonna have to talk about everything,” Johann said.

“I know,” Avi said. He opened his mouth to say more, but he was interrupted.

“Fucking finally!” Killian shouted. Carrie cheered.

“You can’t say shit! Mind your own business!” Johann yelled back, grinning.

He turned back to Avi before Carrie could flip him off, but he felt Avi’s hand lift from his back slightly to flip her off back. Johann kissed him again.

“We should go somewhere else,” Avi said.

“Somewhere else?” Johann raised his eyebrows.

“I mean, unless you wanna fight in the middle of the quad. I think the grass has suffered enough,” Avi said.

“Are we fighting?” Johann asked.

“Are you mad at me?” Avi asked in turn.

“A little bit,” Johann said, tucking his face between Avi’s shoulder and neck. “But, I mean, we don’t have to fight.”

“Wha--oh,” Avi said. Johann felt the warmth of a blush creep up Avi’s neck and face.

“We’re still gonna have to talk, but I fuckin’ missed you,” Johann said. He may have been purposefully moving his lips against Avi’s neck.

“I don’t think we’ve ever done… this before, though,” Avi said. Johann could feel Avi’s knees getting weaker.

“Do you want to?” Johann asked. He pushed up against Avi.

“Fuck, yes,” Avi said.

“My room?” Johann suggested.

“Yeah,” Avi breathed.

~☀~

A while later, Johann and Avi were just laying, overlapped and tangled in each other, in Johann’s bed.

“So when did you know?” Johann asked.

“Heh, I mean, when didn’t I know?” Avi mumbled, “The first day I was here, I saw you, and I lost my cool, like, instantly.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Johann said. He imitated Avi’s voice scarily well: “Hi I’m Avic Donald--nope, not that.”

Avi laughed. Johann threaded his fingers through Avi’s.

“I thought it was just first day nerves. Killian can tell you I didn’t do great, my first day on the moon. Definitely threw up a bunch,” Johann said.

“Yeah, I definitely wasn’t prepared for living on the moon,” Avi said, “What about you? When did you know?”

“Huh. I don’t really know when it started. I became aware of it somewhere between you buying me ice cream at the Midsummer Solstice thing and you picking me up off the ground ten minutes later, I think,” Johann said, “But I realized it, like, full on, when I brought you water after your fight with the Reclaimers at the Icosagon.”

“The muscles do it for you, huh?” Avi grinned.

“Shut up,” Johann said.

“Hey I just wanna know what my boyfriend likes,” Avi said, his grin softening into a smile. “We are boyfriends, right?”

“Yeah,” Johann said, “But if you keep running away to build cannons I’m gonna have to become your husband you so I can collect on your estate.”

“Oh, yeah, my whole estate of cannons,” Avi said.

“I’ll build a museum full of them,” Johann shrugged.

“The plaques would all just say ‘cool-ass cannon, not super clear on how it works though,’” Avi grinned.

“You somehow missed both the points I was trying to make,” Johann smiled.

“Hmm?”

“One, you need to be more careful, and two… I could see us getting married someday,” Johann explained. Avi was silent. “Not--I mean, not right now. But… if we make it out of this moon business, and the world doesn’t get destroyed, and we’re still together.”

Avi was still not saying anything. Johann was scared that he had spoken too fast.

“You would want to marry me?” Avi said finally.

“Yeah,” Johann said, “Why wouldn’t I?”

“It’s just-- you have so much more time ahead of you than I do. My whole life so far is less than a sixth of yours. My entire life will be less than a sixth of yours. I would be, like, just a memory for you,” Avi said softly.

“Hey, don’t say that,” Johann said, “Don’t fucking say that.”

“It’s true, though,” Avi said.

“I just got to kiss you today, dumbass,” Johann said, “And you remember what I said about how my life works, right? I’m still in every moment. I still fucking love you--”

Johann pushed himself up onto his elbows so he could look Avi in the eyes.

“To be honest, I’m worried you won’t wanna commit to me. Because, I mean, it’s definitely gonna fuckin’ suck, being alive when you’re not, but that’s how it works. You’re 20 years old, though. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. And I’m gonna stick with you for as long as you want me, but you don’t have to want me your whole life,” Johann said.

“Am I dreaming?” Avi smiled, “My hot elf boyfriend, my best friend, just said he wants to spend the rest of my life with me? That’s it, Johann. If you’re in it for the long haul, then so am I.”

They fell into a comfortable silence. Johann returned to his spot against Avi’s chest.

~☀~

Now that Johann and Avi were together, everyone else was finally able to congratulate them. That obviously translated to people telling them about all the obvious cues they had been giving each other.

“You spent my whole party together, literally inseparable,” Carrie said. They were eating lunch at Fantasy Costco together on the first official double date of their friend group.

“Avi kept telling me how cool you were, and how when you guys first started hanging out he was totally lovestruck, like, don’t even get me started,” Killian added. Johann kindly neglected to mention the time she had burst into his office crying because Carrie had called her cute.

Later, they were holding hands on their way out of Johann’s office. The Director passed them, and said with a smile, “I’m glad things worked out.”

About a week and a half after they got together, Johann met Avi outside the Icosagon after training. Avi had Johann pressed up against the wall when they heard a voice.

“Congratulations! I was wondering whether you two were ever gonna figure it out,” Magnus exclaimed. Johann froze, and Avi turned to look at Magnus.

“Uh, thanks,” Avi said. Johann had promptly grabbed Avi and pulled him quickly away from the situation.

Then, about two weeks later, they were grocery shopping at Fantasy Costco together. They had done it before, but this time they were actually buying together. When they reached the produce fridge, Taako was leaning on a metal beam and eating out of a bag of baby carrots. Johann and Avi pretended not to notice him, because they probably didn’t want to know what he was doing.

Taako seemed to have other plans. As they were comparing the price of raspberries and blueberries, Taako walked over to them.

“You’re gonna wanna go with blueberries, their in season right now,” Taako said, “But I haven’t seen you kids in here before. What’s the deal?”

“We’re… grocery shopping?” Avi said quizzically. Johann patted his shoulder.

“Avi and I are trying to shop like adults now, since we’re kind of moving in together,” Johann explained.

“Tight, my dudes, gonna be honest, I thought you were already dating since, like, my Candlenights party,” Taako said.

“That’s a fair assumption, but this asshole didn’t know that,” Johann said, poking Avi. Avi frowned at him.

“Men are the worst,” Taako agreed. He walked back to where his baby carrots were sitting on a crate.

“You have to relate to him by insulting people,” Johann explained quietly to Avi. Avi nodded and pushed the cart back out of the fridge.

The next few months passed quietly. It was spring, so it was warm enough for Johann and Avi to sit outside, in their spot, and relax.

“Hey, babe?” Johann said. He was laying across Avi’s lap, looking up at the sky.

“Yeah?” Avi replied. He was reading a book and carding his fingers through Johann’s hair.

“What if we, okay, this sounds weird, but, like, what if we stayed on the moon? Like, after all this, because there’s not infinite Grand Relics, so we get to be done eventually. Do you think they’d let us stay?” Johann said.

“That would be sick as hell,” Avi said, “I mean, if the B-O-B gives this place up it’s between me and Lucas I think, and he’s kinda out of the picture, so…”

“Moon house,” Johann said.

“Hell yeah,” Avi grinned.

Johann watched the few high clouds drift and disappear through the sky. In that moment, he really felt like that was where he was supposed to be.

As a bard, Johann had usually been on tour or at the very least on the road, looking for a place to stay for the night. Moving to the moon had been a blessing and a curse. Now, he could see the whole world, but he couldn’t interact with it. Johann couldn’t remember the feeling of solid ground. But at the same time, he had found a home. People he cared about, that cared about him. And sure, the whole world might not remember him, but Avi would, and everyone in the Bureau would. And honestly? That felt like enough.


	6. and you're finally coming home tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the good ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes im double posting bc i need to link this chapter in a post

Avi was sitting on the corner of Johann’s desk, looking into the Voidfish’s tank. Johann was sitting in his desk chair, playing the same seven notes over and over again like he was in a trance. The lights overhead were flickering. Avi couldn’t stand the tension Johann was building. They were both anxious, Avi understood that. Well, he didn’t understand why, but he knew it.

 

“Hey Johann,” Avi said.

 

“You have a job too, you know,” Johann replied. 

 

“Not today I don’t,” Avi said.

 

The moon base was currently over an ocean, too far from any coast to launch a capsule out. The Reclaimers had just come back from their last mission, and even that was a stretch. Avi felt weird, too, like his brain wasn’t problem solving like it normally was. He didn’t want to endanger anyone, so he had just left the hangar. 

 

“I do, though,” Johann said. 

 

Avi looked down at the piece of sheet music where Johann had written exactly seven notes. It was the [E-G-G B-A-B-E] the Voidfish had been singing at random intervals lately. Avi knew it was important, but the static made it impossible to comprehend the situation. Johann was still playing the tune on his harp, over and over again. The Voidfish seemed to grow more insistent as Johann played, but no one could do anything about it.

 

Suddenly, the door creaked open. There, in the doorway, was… a mannequin? It looked guilty, like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. Avi shifted in front of Johann slightly, just in case this strange animated mannequin was hostile.

 

“Hello?” Johann said. Avi looked back at him with a pointed look.

 

The mannequin seemed resigned now. “Hey guys.”

 

“What the fuck-- Magnus?” Avi exclaimed. He had heard about Wonderland through rumors, but did it really turn people into mannequins? At least Magnus wasn’t dead.

 

“It’s a long story. I need to talk to the Voidfish,” the Magnus mannequin said.

 

“I mean, I can’t-- we’re not gonna stop you, dude, but you’re made of like, wood, so you’re gonna turn into splinters,” Avi said.

 

“This isn’t permanent,” Magnus said confidently.

 

His mannequin body climbed up the vertical wall of the tank using some sort of spider bracelet. Avi felt like he should probably stop him, but he didn’t; according to Johann, Magnus had some sort of previous connection with the Voidfish and wasn’t going to hurt it. Avi watched him drop into the tank and get wrapped up in the Voidfish’s tendrils. For a second, Avi was worried Magnus would be absorbed, but the Voidfish held him about a foot away.

 

Muffled sounds came from the inky water, like Magnus was talking to it. Avi wasn’t sure what they were saying, until suddenly, the Voidfish let out a loud bellow that echoed through the whole floor. Johann winced and grabbed onto Avi’s arm. Avi moved his arm to hold Johann’s hand.

 

Suddenly, the room was filled with shadowy creatures. Avi couldn’t really focus on them, because his brain was trying to reconcile their presence with the strongest static he had ever felt. All Avi could figure out was that they were definitely hostile. He stood up and put himself between Johann and  whatever the fuck those things were. Johann squeezed Avi’s hand. The shadowy forms were slowly getting closer, as if they were considering the situation in the room. Most of them were looking toward the Voidfish in its tank. All of them looked like they had weapons, but Avi couldn’t quite tell.

 

Magnus was still talking to the Voidfish, which wasn’t super helpful considering he was the only one in the room with any weapons (on their side, at least). Avi looked down at Johann subtly, trying to signal that they should stay still. The shadows were getting closer, and Avi had no idea what he was going to do about them.

 

Suddenly, the Voidfish tank was split down the side. It exploded out, sending glass and water flooding into the room. Several of the shadows were knocked away, fizzling out. The Voidfish was now floating in midair, almost hiding behind Magnus-mannequin.

 

“You guys good?” Magnus-mannequin asked. The shadows were now fixated on him, like he was their biggest target.

 

“Yeah,” Avi replied. A couple of the shadows turned to look at him.

 

Avi was weaponless, and he had no magic. It was just his squishy human body between this army of darkness and Johann. The odds weren’t looking great, but Avi wasn’t about to abandon his boyfriend. 

 

“Here, Avi, take this,” Magnus-mannequin said. He tossed Avi his rapier (which Avi caught by the handle, luckily). “And Johann, I don’t know if you want--”

 

“Yeah no, I’ll be fine,” Johann said. 

 

“Okay, guys, we have to protect the Voidfish,” Magnus-mannequin said. He pulled his axe off his back and started swinging.

 

Within seconds, the battle was raging. Avi felt Johann cast Heroism through their joined hands to give him more damage resistance. Avi was already stabbing through two humanoid silhouettes. He dropped Johann’s hand and moved forward, slashing through more of the shapes.

 

“Cover your ears!” Johann shouted. Avi did so with one hand and blocked the other with his shoulder.

 

A loud, piercing shriek sounded. The biggest hulking, clawed figure erupted into dust, along with a lot of the shadows nearby.

 

The Voidfish joined the fight too, strangling the shadows with its tentacles. A few of its longer tendrils were severed, but it was still okay. It was staying mostly by Magnus, but as Magnus pushed deeper into the crowd, the Voidfish stayed with Johann.

 

The battle was over almost as fast as it began What had started out as forty shadows against the four of them had turned quickly to the four of them against sixteen shadows to just them and a couple of the biggest shapes. The shadows were approaching quickly.

 

Magnus-mannequin spoke. “Guys, I think I have to die to get my body back. I’ll explain later. Keep the Voidfish safe, I’m gonna KKHHHKHKHKKHKHH!” 

 

Magnus rushed in. He charged into the last three forms, swinging his axe like a helicopter through two of them before the last one tore his mannequin body in half. It was less gruesome than a human body, but it was still hard to watch.

 

Avi knew what he had to do. He ran at the last shadow, jumped up, and stabbed it through its head. It collapsed to the floor with a strange thud and faded out of existence.

 

Now the only sound in the room was Avi’s heavy breathing. The Voidfish sang its song again, again, “[E-G-G B-A-B-E]”

 

“Yeah, don’t worry, Magnus is coming back,” Johann assured it, “And he’ll bring your [E-G-G B-A-B-E] back.”

 

The Voidfish hummed a single high note, like it was anticipating that moment. Avi heard Johann laugh a little bit. As he looked back, Johann was walking up to him, holding one of the Voidfish’s tendrils in one hand. Johann extended his other hand to Avi. Avi interlaced his fingers with Johann’s.

 

Johann seemed to be examining Avi for injuries. Avi was a little worse for wear, but he was alive, and he was breathing. Johann took Avi’s hand in his free one and kissed him on the cheek.

 

“You looked cool as hell,” Johann said. Avi saw his smile and felt as the magic worked to close most of the cuts on Avi’s arms and face.

 

“That Shatter was pretty good,” Avi said, “I know I can’t heal you with my compliments or whatever, I just wanted to tell you.”

 

“Thanks,” Johann replied.

 

“So do you think we should stay in here? ‘Cause the whatever those were are probably everywhere,” Avi said. He didn’t want to waste his time here if others were being attacked too.

 

“We have to protect the Voidfish,” Johann reminded him.

 

“Yeah, we do,” Avi said. He understood, really. “But don’t the others need help?”

 

“We’re safest here,” Johann said.

 

“I know,” Avi sighed. He wasn’t going to leave Johann behind, that was for sure.

 

“I know it sucks to not know. Trust me,” Johann said. Avi felt guilt rise in his stomach. “But we have no idea what’s going on, and we need to make sure the Voidfish doesn’t get hurt. We don’t know if those things called for backup.”

 

“So… we just wait?” Avi asked. He hated waiting. 

 

“Magnus will be back soon,” Johann assured him. 

 

Neither of them had any way of knowing that. But Avi knew Johann had to keep up morale, and Magnus clearly knew what he was doing.

 

“With the-- with [E-G-G B-A-B-E]?” Avi said, “Do you think we’ll be able to know about everything then?”

 

“Yeah,” Johann said. 

 

Something big was definitely going to happen, Avi could feel it. He just couldn’t figure out what.

 

For the next twenty or so minutes, there was a weird silence in Johann’s office. All of the shadows had faded out of existence, so it was just the three of them standing by themselves in the flooded room. Avi and Johann were watching the lights in the Voidfish flicker impatiently. Johann was still holding its tentacle, along with Avi’s hand, and they were still standing in the middle of the room. Avi felt like they were all scared to move.

 

Finally, Magnus came out of the elevator. He was back in his human body, though he looked slightly younger than Avi remembered. He was carrying a huge fuckoff sword that was smoking like it had recently been on fire. And most importantly, a greenish, vaguely mini-Voidfish shaped figure was on Magnus’s shoulder. 

 

“Hey guys, this is Junior,” Magnus said brightly. He nudged the small Voidfish, Junior, toward the big one. In a soft talking-to-an-animal voice, he said, “Junior, you remember Fisher? That’s your parent!”

 

Johann let go of the big Voidfish, no, Fisher’s tentacle and stepped back. The two Voidfish seemed to consider each other, before the big one, Fisher, wrapped a couple of tendrils around Junior and pulled it close. They started humming excited notes to each other. It was adorable.

 

Then Fisher lifted a tendril and pointed to Johann. Johann looked at it, confused.

 

“What’s up, buddy?” Johann asked.

 

Fisher pointed to Johann’s desk. Avi knew what it wanted. He was closest, so he picked up the sheet music and handed it to Johann. Johann handed it to Magnus. It was like a silent game of hot potato. Magnus walked up to Fisher with the sheet music. Fisher seemed to be very excited about that, and it practically ripped the paper out of Magnus’s hands and pulled it into its body.

 

And then, like ink through water at a thousand times the speed, the room was filled with blue and green light from the two Voidfish. It wasn’t just light, though. It was everything. A century of stories from the green light. And music, so much music from the blue light.

 

One familiar song in particular stood out to Avi.

 

_ I see you in the air, _

_ your head is in the clouds. _

_ On a flight to nowhere, _

_ standing out of the crowds. _

 

_ I don't know where you're trying to go, _

_ but I will follow you there. _

 

_ You love to fly and hate to sing, _

_ but you're a songbird with no wings. _

_ Built a machine to take you higher, _

_ like its your greatest desire. _

 

_ I see you smiling from here, _

_ your laughter's such a bright sound. _

_ Look over cliffs with no fear, _

_ ‘cause you won’t hit the ground. _

 

_ I don't know where you're trying to go, _

_ but I will follow you there. _

 

_ You love to fly and hate to sing. _

_ but you're a songbird with no wings. _

_ Built a machine to take you higher, _

_ like its your greatest desire. _

 

_ I don't know where you're trying to go, _

_ but i will follow you there. _

_ You're taking off in the spring, _

_ leaving home on a dare. _

 

_ You love to fly and hate to sing, _

_ but you're a songbird with no wings. _

_ Built a machine to take you higher, _

_ like its your greatest desire. _

 

Avi looked over at Johann. He had never heard the words before, and from the look on Johann’s face, he was never supposed to. Magnus didn’t seem to hear it, though, at least not specifically. In fact, he was just staring concernedly at the spot where Fisher and Junior had just been.

 

“They’re--they’re gone,” Magnus said.

 

“Did they…” Johann frowned.

 

“They’re not--they’re okay,” Magnus said, “They’ve done that before. At least, Fisher has. It doesn’t hurt them.”

 

“But they’re not here,” Johann said.

 

“They probably went somewhere safer. Fisher’s been waiting for its kid for a long time,” Magnus said.

 

Johann seemed to accept that. Avi squeezed his hand.

 

“Listen, I gotta get back out there and fight. You guys stay safe,” Magnus said. He flicked the flint wheel on his sword so it caught fire and walked out.

 

“Damn, why does he have to look so badass all the time?” Avi muttered.

 

“We have to go out and help, right?” Johann said.

 

“That’s…” Avi realized that, as much as he wanted to do something, his decision would hinge on Johann. “That’s up to you.”

 

“We’re going, then,” Johann said, “I know it’s killing you not to.”

 

So Johann led the charge up the elevator and out of the administration dome. Avi was still holding Magnus’s rapier. He didn’t feel bad for keeping it, at least for the moment, considering Magnus had the Flaming Raging Poisoning Sword of Doom. 

 

In the next hour or so, a lot of things happened. Johann and Avi cut down countless of the shadows, the Hunger, that they could now see. Avi launched a cannon at a giant wolf. Explosions of magic and light erupted all round them. Avi tended to those who were still standing while Johann healed the unconscious. A bunch of people Avi didn’t know were there with some very high-level powers. He and Johann fought alongside them, alongside Carrie and Killian, Angus, and Lucas in some sort of elevator mech suit. 

 

They fought as the Starblaster moved out of the Prime Material Plane, all the way until the sky was filled with the light that pulled the Hunger into it. In the final burst of glowing white, all the sound in the world was pulled with it. Avi felt Johann put his head on his shoulder like they were watching fireworks. 

 

When the sound returned, Avi heard Johann humming. It was the song Johann had written for Avi. 

 

“So you did have words for it,” Avi grinned.

 

“Maybe,” Johann said.

 

“You weren’t gonna tell me?” Avi asked.

 

“By the time we were together it seemed stupid,” Johann said, hiding his face in Avi’s shoulder.

 

“I love you,” Avi said.

 

“I love you too,” Johann said.

 

“You know it was your music that helped, right? All the compositions you’ve been feeding it?” Avi said, “Your Bardic Inspiration?”

 

“I guess that means people will remember me,” Johann said, smiling. Avi was smiling, too. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Johann’s head. “Good thing Fisher didn’t eat all of the stupid sad songs I wrote while you were working on your dumb time cannon or whatever.”

 

Avi squashed down the guilt in his stomach and turned to wrap both arms around Johann. Behind him, Avi saw Magnus raise Angus onto his shoulders. This would be good.

 

“Hey everybody! Johann was right! We won!” Angus shouted at the top of his lungs.

 

Johann laughed into Avi’s chest. Avi laughed too.

 

“Come on, let’s check in with everyone,” Avi said. He pulled Johann toward the people grouping up in the center of the quad.

 

When they reached the inner circle of people, everyone cheered. Magnus dropped his giant sword (Avi saw Taako scowl) and rushed to hug them. A chorus of praise for Johann surrounded them. Avi joined in, because it was what Johann deserved.

 

~☀~

 

In the end, Avi convinced Lucretia to let them live on the moon. There were repairs to be done, and Avi was glad to help with them. But the fight against the Hunger was over, and the Bureau of Balance was now the Bureau of Benevolence, so the secret moon base wasn’t necessary anymore. Lucretia seemed to know exactly what Avi wanted as soon as he walked into her office. She agreed to let him build a house, a real one, not just a dorm room, on the moon.

 

It was great. Magnus helped with the construction, somehow finding out about the project before Avi had reached him. Taako showed up randomly with containers full of food, then disappeared without explaining himself. Merle helped them find the best plants for a garden on the moon.

 

Carrie and Killian were also super hyped about this moon house. They had relocated to a spot just outside Goldcliff (Killian had demanded that they start dust racing, and Carrie had heartily agreed) but they visited regularly. They would go through the empty husk of the Fantasy Costco and pretend to sell the remaining products to each other like Garfield the Deals Warlock.

 

Once the house was finished, maybe eight months after the Day of Story and Song, Avi heard Johann playing a song. He was using the rosewood violin that was his favorite. That in itself was nothing new. But the song sounded almost longing, and it was big and dramatic. Avi was standing in the hallway, outside their office, looking through the half-open door. Johann was facing the big window as he played, as if he was looking out over an audience. With a final flourish, Johann bowed with perfect posture.

 

“You miss it, huh?” Avi said. Johann spun around.

 

“Oh. Hey,” Johann replied.

 

“It’s okay. I get it,” Avi said.

 

“I just-- what’s the point in being remembered if I can’t keep performing?” Johann asked.

 

“I know,” Avi said, “Where do you want to perform?”

 

“What?” Johann frowned.

 

“Johann, you’re the most famous bard in the world. Aside from the Starblaster Seven, you’re probably the most well-known person in the world. Any venue, any place, would do a lot to get you to perform there,” Avi explained, “So where do you want to go?”

 

Johann smiled. Avi walked into the room and reached out to him. Johann walked into Avi’s arms.

 

“There’s a big theater, in Neverwinter,” Johann said.

 

“Mm-hmm,” Avi encouraged.

 

“8000 seats. Huge stage. Full crew,” Johann continued, “I’ve been there a few times, but never to perform. I remember the first time, I was maybe 14, and I told myself I would be on that stage one day.”

 

“Let’s go,” Avi said.

 

“What?” Johann said.

 

“We live on a fake moon. We can go anywhere we want,” Avi said.

 

“I haven’t been on the ground since I joined the Bureau,” Johann admitted.

 

“Then we’ll take a vacation in Neverwinter. See the sights. Get our ground legs back. Then if you feel up to it, you can perform on the biggest stage in Faerun,” Avi said.

 

“Technically, it’s not the biggest stage, the one at the Sol De Medianoche in Goldcliff is round so it has more area. But yeah, the one in Neverwinter has the most seats,” Johann said.

 

“And I’m the nerd?” Avi teased.

 

“Go drive the moon,” Johann said.

 

So they did. Avi sped up their orbit until they were over Neverwinter, which was luckily a short trip. He then froze it in place and launched the cannon down just outside of town.

 

They spent the next two weeks in Neverwinter. It was great. Avi had grown up in the suburbs, so he hadn't been able to experience the full city experience before the Bureau hired him. They did the whole tourist thing first; trying out restaurants, seeing landmarks, paying too much for stupid trinkets that made them laugh.

 

Then Johann got himself a performance at the biggest theater in Faerun. He had hardly entered the building before he was swarmed with adoring fans. Avi watched from the sidelines as Johann had tried to answer everyone's questions at once. It didn't work, obviously, but the management stepped in and allowed Johann to speak. They practically cleared their schedules for him.

 

After that meeting, when Avi took Johann to a fancy restaurant to celebrate, he said, “I told you so.”

 

“Yeah,” Johann said. And for the first time since Avi had met him, he looked… content. Like he was finally in the right place.

 

“Is this what you want?” Avi asked.

 

“What?” Johann replied.

 

“Do you want to travel and perform around the world?” Avi clarified.

 

“Like, forever?” Johann frowned.

 

“Well, however long,” Avi shrugged.

 

“I mean, I do miss it,” Johann said, “But I don't wanna… I don't know. Do you want a life on the road?”

 

“Johann, I get to drive the moon. That's the sickest job ever. I'm living my best life. I'll take you anywhere you wanna go. We can stop in every town in the world. I don't care. As long as it makes you happy,” Avi said.

 

“I mean, asked and answered,” Johann smiled, “I think, yeah, I would like to do this for a while.”

 

“Awesome,” Avi said.

 

~☀~

 

A year after the Day of Story and Song, Avi was standing next to Killian on her and Carrie's wedding day. Johann was in a mirrored position on Carrie's side. Avi remembered the conversation that had led them to those positions.

 

“So we're getting married,” Killian announced. It was her and Carrie's second time visiting the new moon house.

 

“Hey, I thought we were telling them together!” Carrie exclaimed.

 

“I left you the fun part,” Killian said.

 

“Fair enough. Guys, do you want to be our respective maids of honors?” Carrie offered.

 

“Uh, fuck yes, of course, how many bachelorette parties do you want,” Johann responded immediately.

 

“I think--I think one each is good, right?” Killian giggled.

 

“Actually, I want six,” Carrie decided. 

 

“Ah, shit, we only have four planned,” Avi interjected.

 

“Damn, guess we gotta find new maids of honor,” Killian fake-sighed. Everyone laughed.

 

Back in the present, Avi watched as Killian and Carrie ran to each other at the altar. It was heartwarming. He and Johann shared a knowing look behind the brides.

 

Afterwards, when Killian was throwing her bouquet, Avi may or may not have had a certain bard cast Enhance Ability so he could grab it out of the air. Killian had warned him later about not stealing her spotlight, and Avi knew she was only half-kidding.

 

That night, at the hotel, Avi and Johann were standing out on the balcony.

 

“So, you caught the bouquet, huh?” Johann raised his eyebrows.

 

“Hmmm, yeah, guess I should start looking at rings then,” Avi said, pretending to be nonchalant.

 

“Not if I propose first,” Johann said.

 

“Is that a challenge?” Avi smirked.

 

“It's a promise,” Johann said.

 

Avi just kissed him, a smile on both their faces.


	7. and you're not coming home tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sad ending, the true ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow sorry everyone i didn't mean to leave this i was writing a nice fic to link to at the end of this chapter and then procrastinated so hard i forgot completely. anyway, here is the absence of wonderwall, which may break your heart more than you think.

There is magic in a bard’s song. When Avi heard the voidfish’s exclamation, he knew. He would know that magic anywhere. He abandoned his post at the cannon and took off running. The Hunger he could now see couldn’t even stop him. It was almost as if the shadows were repelled by his pure determination. Avi didn’t care.

 

He burst through the doors of the Voidfish’s room, huffing and panting. And then two things happened.

 

One, Avi saw Johann’s body lying still on the ground, surrounded by the mangled remains of the hunger.

 

Two, Avi heard a song. A song he had heard a few times before. This time, though, there were words.

 

_ I see you in the air, _

_ your head is in the clouds. _

_ On a flight to nowhere, _

_ standing out of the crowds. _

 

_ I don't know where you're trying to go, _

_ but I will follow you there. _

 

_ You love to fly and hate to sing, _

_ but you're a songbird with no wings. _

_ Built a machine to take you higher, _

_ like its your greatest desire. _

 

_ I see you smiling from here, _

_ your laughter's such a bright sound. _

_ Look over cliffs with no fear, _

_ ‘cause you won’t hit the ground. _

 

_ I don't know where you're trying to go, _

_ but I will follow you there. _

 

_ You love to fly and hate to sing. _

_ but you're a songbird with no wings. _

_ Built a machine to take you higher, _

_ like its your greatest desire. _

 

_ I don't know where you're trying to go, _

_ but i will follow you there. _

_ You're taking off in the spring, _

_ leaving home on a dare. _

 

_ You love to fly and hate to sing, _

_ but you're a songbird with no wings. _

_ Built a machine to take you higher, _

_ like its your greatest desire. _

 

Avi felt his tears hit the ground.

 

There is magic in everything a bard does, really. Every step is rhythmic, every heartbeat is in time to the music of the universe, every inflection in a word holds power. Every move is a performance, the creation of a new story, a new song. It was insane, actually, how much power bards had over anyone they met. It was insane how much Johann meant to Avi.

 

Avi wasn’t going to give up, and he wasn’t going to forget. He had people he cared about, people that were still out there, still battling whatever the hell had come to attack them. And if Johann wanted Avi to fight, then Avi was going to fucking fight.

 

With one last look at Johann’s body, Avi steeled himself and took off again. He grabbed a random weapon off the ground and sprinted back to the quad. He saw Magnus barely dodge a blow from a giant bear. He knew what he had to do.

 

Running past the battle scene to the hangar, Avi unhooked a small cannon from its position against the wall and spun it around. There was already a capsule in it, so Avi triangulated a shot through the glass and fired.

 

The next forty-five minutes or so were a blur. When he looked back on it later, he remembered a wolf, and a ship coming out of the ground, and a lot of explosions, and one huge display of white arcane light. He remembered staying back when everyone else went to save the world. He remembered so many people on the ground, and not all of them made it. He remembered going back to sit in the Voidfish chamber, alone, and feeling like he could see Johann, alive, out of the corner of his eye.

 

For once in his life, Avi wished he could use magic. He had spent a lot of time proving to people you didn’t need magic to be important, but no amount of cannons or trick shots or math would let Avi talk to Johann one last time.

 

After everything was done, there was a dead silence. Like the whole world stopped, for just a moment, to make sure the Hunger was gone. Even the scraps of music that had been drifting through Avi’s mind stopped. Avi knew that it was a good thing, but it was then the reality of everything finally set in.

 

Some amount of time later, Avi went out to see the people who had saved the world. He saw the seven people who started all of it. He saw Carrie and Killian, who were clinging to each other and crying. He saw people he didn’t recognize, people he did, all grouped together, trying to understand what had just happened. 

 

He saw Angus, and that was a huge relief. Avi allowed himself to be swept up in that happiness as he ran towards his little brother and scooped him up off the ground in a hug.

 

“Avi! We won!” Angus exclaimed.

 

“You’re alive,” Avi said.

 

“Yeah!” Angus said, “You’re alive too!”

 

“Yeah,” Avi laughed weirdly. He set Avi down. “I mean, I saw you earlier, but then, you know there was still stuff happening and you went with, what’s her name, Luz or something? And I--I’m just glad I didn’t lose you too.”

 

Angus’s face fell into a frown of apprehension. “Who-- who didn’t--”

 

“We can’t worry about that right now,” Avi interrupted. He had to make it through talking to the others before he could say what happened out loud. “Let’s go check up on the others.”

 

They were joined by Killian and Carrie as they approached the seven in the middle of the quad. None of them said anything. It was enough to just be near each other, to know that they were alive. No one mentioned the person missing from their group.

 

Lucretia, Barry, Lup, and Davenport were walking toward the administration dome, and they passed Avi and his group with waves and smiles of relief. Avi didn't say anything. As he and the others reached the middle of the quad, it was just Magnus, Merle, and Taako, huddled in a circle. Avi cleared his throat.

 

“Thank you guys,” Avi said, “For saving the world and everything.”

 

The three adventurers turned to Avi and everyone around him. Then Magnus rushed in and tried to hug all four of them at once. Between the varying sizes of people and the injuries on Magnus’s shoulder, it didn’t work out super great, but everyone crowded around and returned the embrace.

 

“We couldn’t have done it without you,” Magnus said.

 

“Well, we did do a little bit without you,” Taako said, “But thanks for--thanks for holding down--keeping things tight here on earth.”

 

“Yeah, that was nice of you,” Merle said.

 

There was no mention of the people they lost. Right now, they had to celebrate what they saved. Still, Magnus gave Avi a knowing look while they walked into the administration building. Avi figured he must have been the one to kill all the Hunger in the Voidfish room. They could talk about it later.

 

The following hours, days, weeks were filled with meetings and arrangements. Avi was in charge of relocating people while massive infrastructural repairs were being made. He threw himself into the organization and transportation. After all, he couldn't give up.

 

One day, Avi was meeting up with the construction workers to discuss estimated completion times. Magnus was there too, as a consultant, and he had offered to take everyone out for drinks after. Avi had accepted the offer, obviously.

 

It was late, the moon was high in the sky, when Magnus approached Avi.

 

“Hey,” Magnus greeted. He sipped his tankard of beer, and some foam stuck in his mustache.

 

“Sup,” Avi replied. His grip on his glass of whiskey tightened.

 

“I wanted-- I wanted to say sorry,” Magnus said.

 

“For what?” Avi frowned. Deep down, though, Avi knew. He blamed himself too.

 

“For… Johann. I was already going there, I saw the Hunger hit the building, I should have--” Magnus said.

 

“No, that's not your fault,” Avi stopped him, “Trust me, I wish I had gotten there too. But… I don't know. He got--he got what he wanted, at least. No one could-- could ever forget about him now.”

 

Blinking away the water that threatened to fill his eyes, Avi took a drink of whiskey. It burned his throat on the way down. There wasn't anything he or anyone else could have done. He had to remember that.

 

“Yeah,” Magnus agreed. Avi could tell he was also close to crying. “I just wanted to make sure you weren't mad at me.”

 

“No, no way,” Avi said.

 

The next time someone tried to talk to Avi about Johann, it was at a party. Taako and Lup were hosting an event for the Bureau of Balance members, a few months after the final battle. There were a lot of people there, obviously. But not enough. Everyone could feel the difference.

 

Most noticeable was the lack of music. Everyone in the Bureau was used to Johann playing for all the events. No one brought it up. Well, no one but Kravitz.

 

Avi hadn't really talked to Kravitz at all. All he knew about the guy was that he was the Grim Reaper and also dating Taako. So when Kravitz approached him at the party, Avi didn't know what to expect.

 

“Hello, Avi, was it?” Kravitz greeted.

 

“Yeah, hi,” Avi said. He straightened his posture, as if that would help anything.

 

“Listen, I know that this probably isn't the best time, but… how do I say this. I have something to tell you about Johann,” Kravitz said. Avi's heart sank.

 

“I mean, better now than never,” Avi said bitterly. He didn't know what he expected. Had Johann's soul been absorbed by the Hunger?

 

“It’s… well, not good news. But comforting, I think,” Kravitz said. He lowered his voice. “On the… that day, I was… AWOL for a long time. Between Taako pulling me out of the astral plane and shepherding Legion, and, uh… other stuff, I was busy. So a lot of souls were just, you know, chilling in the ethereal plane. Did you, by any chance, see Johann out of the corners of your eyes that day?”

 

“Uh, yeah, actually, a lot,” Avi said. He realized what Kravitz was saying. “So he… he was there?”

 

“Yes,” Kravitz said, “And I am sorry that I had to take him.”

 

“No, I get it, it's your job or whatever,” Avi said.

 

“Thank you for understanding. He’s waiting for you,” Kravitz said. He walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

 

The next time Avi saw Kravitz, it was for business. Avi had given up the ghost at the ripe old age of 36, when he ended up crashing a new capsule he was testing. He figured it was an alright way to go. People would miss him, sure, but he died doing what he loved: launching himself hella fast out of a cannon.

 

Kravitz lead Avi into the astral plane, where they floated just above the soul soup. He was a cornflower blue orb now, hovering instead of walking. Kravitz showed Avi to the small island in the middle of the lake with a mostly-built cottage perched atop it. Kravitz gestured for Avi to join the island.

 

Johann was sitting in the grass outside the small cottage there. He was tuning his violin idly, gazing out over the ocean of lights below. A tall, muscular woman wearing a toolbelt over a green dress was also there, assembling some sort of joint structure.

 

Both of them looked up at Avi as he approached.

 

Avi looked to Kravitz. Kravitz ushered him forward wordlessly. Avi floated up to the island, returning to his human form as he reached the ground. Behind him, Kravitz was gone.

 

“You got here fast,” Johann said, “It was the cannons, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Avi admitted.

 

“You want to hear a song I've been working on?” Johann asked.

 

“Always,” Avi grinned he sat down next to Johann and kissed him.


End file.
